Former Head of Defunct Mentoring Agency Charged with Wire Fraud, Fails to Contact Probation Officer
On Monday, April 29th, a federal judge issued an arrest warrant after the former head of a youth mentoring agency, who has been charged with wire fraud and Medicaid fraud, failed to check in with his probation officer. He also failed to appear at a status conference hearing in Charleston, SC on Monday.
Norman Lewis ran a for-profit company called Helping Hands Youth and Family Services (not affiliated with charity organizations of the same name), is wanted for failing to comply with bond conditions. He had been free on a $10,000 secured bond. He was accused of wire fraud in relation to overbilling Medicaid.
The charges stemmed from an eight-month investigation into Helping Hands in 2010, after a confidential complaint to state officials alleged that the agency’s counselors were not licensed, and that Lewis’s family members had criminal records.
Helping Hands had offices in Conway, Georgetown, Rock Hill, and Columbia. Lewis ran the agency with the help of his wife and his brother, and reportedly overbilled Medicaid for as much as $8.9 million. The family used the money to buy luxury automobiles, including a $89,000 Bentley and a $55,900 Mercedes, as well as homes and other luxury personal items. Lewis and two others face federal felony charges including wire fraud, conspiracy to commit health care fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The agency closed its doors in 2011. Former counselors told The Sun News that Lewis and other members of the agency overloaded them with clients to increase Medicaid billing, and to report hours spent with clients even if the counselors had not been mentoring children, in order to falsify reports to Medicaid. By April 2010, Helping Hands billed Medicaid $1 million per month.
Wire Fraud and Other Charges In Trial
Lewis, who was arrested last August, has a history of bad behavior related to his upcoming trial. In February, he sent a letter to his probation officer stating that he no longer had a phone, and he would no longer be able to report as required in the bond conditions. His probation officer sent him a certified letter stating “that he will need to call the probation officer every Monday or report to the office to satisfy the [bond] condition,” but Lewis failed to comply.
In September 2012, Lewis requested that he represent himself at his criminal trial, saying that he would rather have God and Jesus represent him than a court-appointed lawyer. He also spoke at an arraignment hearing in June that he had, while working at Helping Hands, written more than 100 songs and poems. Judge Richard Gergel became concerned about Lewis’s “mental capacity” and ordered him to have a psychiatric evaluation. Lewis passed the evaluation and was allowed to represent himself, until he began to refuse boxes of discovery documents needed for trial preparation – after that, Judge Gergel rescinded the request and appointed an attorney to represent Lewis.
In February, Lewis began to fail to appear for court-ordered meetings with his probation officer.
The Helping Hands agency began billing Medicaid in 2009, and the billings steadily increased until the audit in April 2010. Court documents show that Lewis and his family members began to transfer money from the agency’s bank account into their personal accounts.
The Wire Fraud Attorneys at the Strom Law Firm Can Help with White Collar Charges
Our federal criminal defense lawyers handle cases involving:
- Fraudulent insurance claims
- Bond issuances and investment schemes
- Falsifying loan applications
- Check fraud schemes
- Bribes or kickbacks
- False advertising or misrepresentation in sales transactions
Our firm provides extensive experience representing clients in major criminal cases and investigations involving wire fraud, mail fraud, bank fraud, and RICO violations. While we strive to resolve matters discreetly through aggressive negotiation, our fraud attorneys will not hesitate to take your case to trial. We offer free, confidential consultations to discuss the facts of your case, so do not hesitate to contact us. 803.252.4800.
