Press Release
MIAMI LAKES MAN CONVICTED IN CONNECTION WITH MEDICAL EQUIPMENT AND MONEY LAUNDERING SCAM
December 17, 2008
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today the conviction of defendant Jimmy A. Soto, of Miami Lakes, in connection with a $5.4 million health care fraud and money laundering scheme. Soto, who was remanded to the custody of the Bureau of Prisons, will be sentenced in February, 2009. He faces up to 20 years' imprisonment on each of the five money laundering counts and up to 10 years on each of the nine health care fraud counts.
Soto was convicted by a Miami jury of a series of related health care fraud and money laundering charges after a week long trial before U.S. District Court Judge Cecilia M. Altonaga. The government proved at trial Soto conspired with Leonardo Lozada, Eliades Diaz, and Jose D. Claro to defraud Medicare in connection with the fraudulent submission of $5.4 million in DME-related claims during 2005 and 2006. The claims concerned a Hialeah-based durable medical equipment company operating as Med-Pro of Miami, Inc (“Med-Pro”). Medicare paid Med-Pro approximately $1.3 million in response to the bogus claims, which were for DME items that were neither prescribed by doctors nor delivered to Medicare patients, most of whom resided in the Treasure Coast area of Florida.
Soto, a well known motorcycle mechanic, was also found guilty of laundering more than a $1million in monies stolen from Medicare. At trial, it was established that Soto recruited his customers and friends to cash several hundred thousand dollars worth of checks for Med-Pro during 2006. When FBI agents confronted Soto about his illegal activities in April 2007, Soto denied any involvement with Med Pro and instead attempted to blame an innocent Medley body shop owner.
The case came to the attention of the FBI’s Fort Pierce Resident Agency after numerous Treasure Coast resident’s contacted that FBI office to complain about Med-Pro submitting fraudulent claims to the Medicare program.
Earlier this month, Judge Altonaga sentenced Soto’s co-conspirator, Eliades Diaz, also of Miami Lakes, to an 80 month prison term; co-defendant Leonardo Lozada received a 46 month term. Defendant Jose D. Claro will be sentenced in February 2009.
U.S. Acosta thanked the FBI for their hard work in this investigation and prosecution. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney William J. Parente, Jr. of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Assistant United States Attorney Luis M. Perez.
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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