Two Men in Florida Guilty of Defrauding $1.4 Billion in Health Care
Two men living in Miami, Florida, have been convicted of illegally charging $1.4 billion for laboratory testing services, a fraud that also involved rural hospitals in Georgia and Missouri, the U.S. Department of Justice said. Participated.
After 24 days of trial, a federal jury in central Florida found Jorge Perez, 62, and Ricardo Perez, 59, guilty of fraud, who "won $1.4 billion in medically unnecessary lab testing services."
The "sophisticated billing transfer scheme involved rural hospitals," which were used as "billing screens to send requests for services that were primarily made in external laboratories," a statement from the U.S. Department of Justice said.
Two Individuals Convicted in $1.4 Billion Health Care Fraud Scheme Involving Rural Hospitals in Florida, Georgia, and Missourihttps://t.co/AtZSxpVCdp
— Criminal Division (@DOJCrimDiv) June 27, 2022
According to court documents and evidence presented, the defendants took control of "financially distressed rural hospitals" through management and purchase agreements.
Jorge and Ricardo Perez promised to prevent the closure of these rural hospitals in Florida, Georgia and Missouri by turning them into laboratory testing sites; however, they "charged for fraudulent laboratory tests" hundreds of millions of dollars over several years.
Both were found guilty of "health fraud five times and conspiracy to launder the proceeds of this fraudulent scheme."
"These defendants took advantage of and exploited vulnerable people— vulnerable hospitals, vulnerable and disadvantaged communities, and vulnerable patients seeking drug treatment — for the sole purpose of 'lining their pockets,'" said Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite. of the Criminal Division of the Department of Justice.
In addition, many of the lab tests billed by these hospitals "involved urine drug testing for vulnerable patients undergoing drug treatment" who were lured by recruiters and bribery providers. wine.
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Two Men in Florida Found Guilty of Defrauding $1.4 Billion in Health Care - El Diario NY
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