There is no such thing as free. After all, everything has a cost more or less, and whatever goods and services are provided, they must be paid for by someone. Free means “without cost or payment.” But it also means “to be or do as one wishes!” Which is what fraudsters do with the U.S. taxpayers’ money. Just like Benjamin Tekippe, who schemed from Medicaid while advertising his chiropractor services as “free.”
Tekippe solicited patients with insurance from Blue Cross Blue Shield of Louisiana (BCBSLA) at schools, public events, and on social media with “free” massages. Tekippe would then bill BCBSLA for chiropractic services he did not perform during the massage. Tekippe fraudulently submitted over $2.3 million in claims to BCBSLA for services not actually performed. The fraudulent claims sought payment for services when Tekippe when was out of the office, or traveling on vacation. Or, incarcerated for past arrests! In response to a medical records request from a BCBSLA auditor, Tekippe fabricated patient records and instructed his staff to write them in their own handwriting to make it falsely appear that the services had been performed as billed.
Then double downing as fraudsters can do, Tekippe submitted weekly certifications falsely claiming that he was unemployed as the United States Congress rolled out federal funds in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. All while he was fraudulently billing for chiropractic services purportedly performed during his claimed unemployment. Fraudsters are never unemployed, unless they are in prison! Tekippe received $12,952 in unemployment insurance benefits to which he was not entitled.
On March 20, 2025, Tekippe was convicted of COVID-19 unemployment fraud.
Excellent job by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services in this case.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Metairie Chiropractic Onwer Indicted For Health Care Fraud, Aggravated Identity Theft, and Making A False Statement” published by L’Observateur on March 10, 2025.
U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that BENJAMIN TEKIPPE (TEKIPPE), age 37, a resident of New Orleans, Louisiana, was charged on September 30, 2021 with health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, and making a false statement. According to the Indictment, TEKIPPE was a licensed chiropractor in Louisiana. TEKIPPE owned and operated his own practice, Metairie Chiropractic, located in Metairie, Louisiana, where he purported to provide chiropractic services to patients.
TEKIPPE knowingly participated in a scheme to defraud a health care benefit program, in connection with the delivery of and payment for health care benefits and services. TEKIPPE submitted, and caused to be submitted, fraudulent claims to health care benefit programs that falsely represented that certain health care services were provided to patients, when TEKIPPE knew that those services were not actually provided.
