A former employee of the Veterans Administration in The Villages and his family members have been charged with defrauding veterans in a kickback scheme.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office has announced the return of an indictment charging 49-year-old Miller Wilson Jr. of Sparr, his 25-year-old daughter Myoshi Wilson of Citra, and his 42-year-old ex-wife Erica Wilson of Ocala, with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud. Miller Wilson Jr. is also charged with eight counts of solicitation and receipt of health care kickbacks, and Erica and Myoshi Wilson are each charged with one count of making false statements.
According to the indictment, Miller Wilson, Jr. was an employee at the Department of Veterans Affairs Clinic located in at Mulberry Grove in The Villages. As part of his employment, he provided transportation arrangements for veterans needing medical treatment. From 2014 through 2016, Miller Wilson, Jr. obtained cash kickbacks from the transportation vendors in exchange for awarding them health care contracts from the VA. Thereafter, from 2016-2017, Miller Wilson, Jr. conspired with Erica and Myoshi Wilson to open and manage two different transportation companies to provide these services to veterans. Miller Wilson, Jr. used his official position at the VA to funnel health care contracts to the companies that he had formed with Erica and Myoshi Wilson. During a 17-month period, the two companies billed the federal government $305,673.
In 2019, Myoshi and Erica Wilson made false statements to a federal agent to conceal their wrongdoing.
If convicted, each faces a maximum penalty of five years in federal prison for the conspiracy count. Erica and Myoshi Wilson each face up to five years imprisonment for the false statement count. In addition, Miller Wilson Jr. faces up to 10 years in federal prison for each count of soliciting and receiving health care kickbacks. The government also is seeking a money judgment in the amount of $382,462.