Benjamin David Danneman, 37, of Eureka pleaded guilty March 13 to federal charges and admitted to faking nursing and education credentials to work at three health-care facilities in the St. Louis area, the U.S. Attorney’s Office reported.
Danneman, who is currently serving a prison sentence in Illinois, pleaded guilty in U.S. District Court in St. Louis to health care fraud, aggravated identity theft and Social Security fraud, the Attorney’s Office said.
U.S. District Judge Ronnie White accepted the guilty plea and set sentencing for June 12, according to the Attorney’s Office.
Danneman used the name and nursing license number of an actual licensed registered nurse to obtain work in the St. Louis area at Alexian Brothers Sherbrooke Village, the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis and the Quarters of Des Peres, court documents said.
At the health care facilities, Danneman was responsible for the day-to-day care of patients needing skilled nursing care.
Also in 2017 and 2018, Danneman used the names, Social Security account numbers, nursing license numbers and other personal identifying information of several people to rent apartments and obtain a driver’s license, loans, credit cards and insurance in at least Kansas City; Chicago; Denver; Conway, N.J.; Erie, Penn.; and Providence, R.I., according to court documents.
“Ensuring that our beneficiaries are provided quality care by appropriately licensed providers is a top priority of our office,” said Steven Hanson, special agent in charge of the Kansas City region of the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. “Individuals who steal the identity of licensed providers and then seek to provide services to Medicare beneficiaries will be aggressively investigated by our office,” Hanson said in a written statement.
On Oct. 30, 2017, Danneman used the name of a registered nurse who was licensed in Texas, Illinois and Nevada, on an application with Favorite Healthcare Staffing. He also claimed from May 2011 to June 2017 to have been the clinical director of an Illinois company called Telemedicine, which records show involuntarily dissolved in 2007, court documents said.
Danneman also claimed to have worked as a registered nurse in orthopedics at Northwestern Memorial Hospital from October 2009 to May 2011.
Favorite Healthcare Staffing placed him in the skilled nursing section of the Sherbrooke Village facility in unincorporated south St. Louis County, where he cared for three Medicare patients on Oct. 31, documents show.
On Nov. 2, 2017, Favorite Healthcare Staffing placed Danneman at the Rehabilitation Institute of St. Louis, documents said.
On Nov. 9, 2017, Danneman used falsified credentials, educational background and work history to apply for a job with Des Peres Healthcare LLC. He was hired as assistant director of nursing, at an annual salary of $68,000, at the Quarters of Des Peres, a 122-bed nursing home, according to court documents.
From April 2017 to January 2018, Danneman also applied for or obtained credit accounts, an insurance policy, a car loan, a passport, a driver’s license and a bank account using others’ personal information. In 2018, he also rented an apartment in St. Louis Park, Minn., documents said.
Danneman was arrested Feb. 6, 2018, after trying to use two bogus checks, including one using the misspelled name “Des Perres Healthcare LLC,” to obtain cash, documents said.
The next day, he attempted to open an American Express account with a $30,000 counterfeit check, according to documents.
Danneman is currently serving a prison sentence in Illinois for bad check and attempted burglary charges from St. Clair County, and methamphetamine, ID theft, theft, forgery and other charges in Cook County, online prison records show.
Healthcare fraud charge carries a penalty up to 10 years’ imprisonment and a fine of more than $250,000; Social Security fraud charge carries a penalty up to 5 years’ imprisonment and a fine of $250,000; and aggravated identity theft charge carries a mandatory two-year period of incarceration and a fine of $250,000. In determining the actual sentences, a judge is required to consider the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines, which provide recommended sentencing ranges.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General and the U.S. Secret Service.
Assistant U.S. Dorothy McMurtry is handling the case for the U.S. Attorney’s Office.
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