A Mississippi businessman pleaded guilty today to participating in a scheme to defraud Medicare by paying kickbacks for fraudulent doctors’ orders and then using those orders to bill the government insurer over $19 million through seven different durable medical equipment (DME) supply companies.
According to court documents, Willie De Gibbs, 53, of Toomsuba, Mississippi, and Cutler Bay, Florida, was the sole owner of three DME supply companies and the beneficial owner and controller of four other DME supply companies, sometimes through straw owners.
He sought to defraud Medicare by submitting fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary orthotic braces for beneficiaries who did not request or need them.
Gibbs pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on February 25, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
