United States Attorney David Metcalf has announced the unsealing of a superseding indictment charging four businessmen and two companies with conspiracy and wire fraud. The charges relate to a telemarketing fraud scheme involving the sale of discount health and dental plans through deceptive practices.
The companies involved, Bene Market LLC and Seguro Medico LLC, operated under various names such as Quick Health, Q Health, Benefits Now, Express Benefits, and YourBenefits4U. They ran a call center near Reading, Pennsylvania. The principal architect of the alleged scheme is Alan Redmond from Wyomissing, Pennsylvania. He was supported by senior executives Arthur Walsh from West Lawn, Jesus Barrera from Dillsburg, and head sales agent Albert Groff from Wernersville.
According to the 44-page indictment returned by a federal grand jury, between January 2018 and December 2022, these individuals collected millions in commissions by misleading consumers seeking health insurance. They used bait-and-switch tactics to sell limited benefit plans falsely advertised as comprehensive health insurance.
The indictment states that employees at Bene Market Group falsely claimed they were "the national enrollment center for health insurance" and worked with top-rated insurers to find the best coverage at low rates. In reality, they did not search the marketplace or work with A-rated carriers but sold limited discount plans instead.
As a result of this scheme, many consumers were left without adequate insurance coverage for medical needs. This led some to face significant financial hardship due to medical debt.
To sustain the fraud scheme, Redmond and his associates employed unlicensed sales staff using misleading scripts. They bundled products to mimic major medical insurance and engaged in deceptive practices like churning policies. Complaints were ignored or dismissed while refunds were delayed or refused.
Additionally, Redmond allegedly obscured his control over Seguro Medico using nominees and spent fraudulently obtained funds on personal luxuries. From 2019 to 2022, he reportedly withheld over $1.2 million in trust fund taxes but failed to remit them to the IRS.
If convicted on all counts including conspiracy, wire fraud, and tax offenses: Alan Redmond faces up to 635 years in prison along with fines; Arthur Walsh; Jesus Barrera; Albert Groff each face up to 600 years plus fines; all are subject also restitution orders forfeiture proceedings.
This case was investigated by FBI IRS Criminal Investigation assisted Pennsylvania Attorney General’s Office prosecuted Assistant United States Attorneys Samuel S Dalke Mary E Crawley
The charges contained within this indictment are accusations only defendants presumed innocent unless proven guilty court