Some were promised vitamins, diabetic shoes, and other items that they never received.

“I was wearing diabetic shoes and what must have happened is I hit the gas instead of the brake.”

In the United States, diabetic shoes can be covered by Medicare.

The diabetic shoes and custom-molded inserts work together as a preventative system to help diabetics avoid foot injuries and improve mobility.

In addition to meeting strict guidelines, diabetic shoes must be prescribed by a physician and fit by a qualified individual, such as an orthotist, podiatrist or pedorthist.

Asante is charged with billing for unnecessary and undelivered orthotic devices, motorized wheelchairs, hospital beds, enteral nutrition and feeding supply kits, and diabetic shoes.

Diabetic shoes, sometimes referred to as extra depth, therapeutic shoes or Sugar Shoes, are specially designed shoes, intended to reduce the risk of skin breakdown in diabetics with co-existing foot disease.

Several good examples of the resources at a patient's disposal are access to social workers if/when needed, provision of diabetic testing supplies and even diabetic shoes to help support achy feet (a very common symptom of diabetes).

In recent years, the suspect claims have included Medicare prescriptions from doctors who were dead, and requests for payment for medical supplies such as blood glucose strips for sexual impotence and diabetic shoes for leg amputees.

The government paid more than $1 billion in questionable Medicare claims for medical supplies that showed little relation to a patient's condition, including blood glucose strips for sexual impotence and special diabetic shoes for leg amputees, congressional investigators say.

Levon Sedrakyan, 34, is charged in a separate sixth indictment with conspiring to submit $3.1 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for orthotic devices, motorized wheelchairs, hospital beds, enteral nutrition and feeding supply kits, diabetic shoes and other medical devices.