CHICAGO — A married Calumet City couple behind a nonprofit service for seniors allegedly schemed with a social worker to fraudulently obtain more than $1.16 million from Medicare.

All three are charged with health care fraud, according to an unsealed federal indictment.

Richard and Tammie Pitts operated American Warriors which offered psychotherapy services to residents of senior living facilities in the Chicago area from 2019 to 2021. 

The indictment alleges that the couple schemed with social worker Charlo Jordan and submitted defrauding claims to Medicare for psychotherapy services that were not provided.

As part of the scheme, Richard Pitts invited residents of the senior facilities to attend breakfast meetings, which often included guest speakers or group activities, as a way to identify Medicare beneficiaries whose information would then be used for fraud.

When the pandemic caused the meetups to cease, prosecutors allege that the company collected residents’ phone numbers for telehealth therapy and continued to bill Medicare for psychotherapy that was never provided.

The married couple allegedly received $1,164,624.61 as the result of fraudulent claims.

Each count of health care fraud is punishable by up to ten years in federal prison.