Sentencing has been handed down to a Livingston County woman charged in a multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme involving false billing claims.

58-year-old Michelle Freeman of Pinckney and Elaine Lovett of Wayne County were accused of conspiring to engage in Medicare fraud and submitting fraudulent claims. Officials say the pair, who co-owned Oak Park-based ABIX LLC, obtained the Medicare numbers of licensed medical service providers in and around Detroit, and then used the information to bill Medicare for chiropractic and psychotherapy services that were not provided. Freeman previously pleaded guilty to a count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in U.S. District Court in Detroit. Last week she was sentenced to 20 months in prison and ordered to pay more than $400,000 in restitution. She must also serve two years of probation.

Freeman is among 20 Detroit-area physicians, company owners and operators, office employees and patient recruiters accused of submitting more than $34 million in false claims for services that were never rendered and with paying kickbacks to obtain patients to be billed. Lovett is being sentenced today in the case. (JK)