Israel returned Linda Morrow, 67, to the United States after Morrow was named in a 31-count federal grand jury indictment.  Israel determined that Morrow entered Israel  on a fraudulent Mexican passport. Linda Morrow and her husband, David Morrow, 74, were arrested in Israel. David Morrow, who pleaded guilty in 2016 in the health care fraud case and was sentenced in absentia to 20 years in federal prison, is pending extradition proceedings in Israel. David Morrow also faces contempt of court charges for fleeing while he was pending sentencing.

            Linda Morrow, who was the executive director of The Morrow Institute (TMI) in Rancho Mirage, allegedly schemed to defraud health insurance companies by submitting bills for more than $50 million for cosmetic procedures that were claimed as “medically necessary.” The procedures included “tummy tucks,” “nose jobs,” breast augmentations and vaginal rejuvenation. When insurance companies refused to pay for the cosmetic procedures for patients who happened to be employed by public entities such as school districts, TMI made formal claims against those public entities, demanding payments totaling more than $15 million from the California Highway Patrol, the Desert Sands Unified School District, the Palm Springs Unified School District and the City of Palm Springs.

Bottom Line: Health Insurance will not cover “tummy tucks,” “nose jobs,” breast augmentations and vaginal rejuvenation.