Press Release
THREE SOUTH FLORIDA MEN INDICTED IN MULTI-MILLION DOLLAR MEDICARE FRAUD SCHEME
April 7, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Daniel W. Auer, Special Agent in Charge, Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations, Christopher Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and Al Lamberti, Sheriff, Broward County Sheriff's Office, announce the unsealing of an Indictment charging three South Florida men with participating in a scheme to defraud the Medicare program. Charged in the Indictment are defendants Alejandro Gonzalez, of Davie, Robert Rodriguez, and Manuel Camacho, both of Miami, FL. The defendants are charged with multiple counts of mail fraud, money laundering and conspiracy in this multi-million dollar fraud case. The defendants made their initial appearances in federal court on April 6, 2007, before Federal Magistrate Judge Barry S. Seltzer in Fort Lauderdale. They are currently detained.
The Indictment alleges that the defendants operated a number of medical clinics in Miami-Dade and Broward Counties, which purportedly provided infusion drug therapy treatments to patients suffering from AIDS or HIV. The purported patients are alleged to have received cash kickbacks to visit the clinics. The Indictment also alleges that the defendants caused the manipulation of patients' blood samples to alter the results of blood testing. This alteration resulted in the creation of false documentation that made it appear as if infusion treatments were medically necessary. In fact, however, infusion treatments that were being billed to Medicare were either not provided or were not medically necessary.
According to the charges, from November 2003 to approximately November 2006, the defendants caused the submission of more than $40 million in false claims to Medicare, on which Medicare paid approximately $12 million. Additionally, it is alleged that the defendants laundered the proceeds of the fraud through purchase of high end automobiles and boats, among numerous other transactions.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison for each of the 14 counts of mail fraud and conspiracy and 10 years imprisonment for each of the 15 counts related to money laundering.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Internal Revenue Service and Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Roger H. Stefin and Thomas P. Lanigan.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
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