100 South Floridians Charged In Major Health Care Fraud Takedown
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MIAMI (CBSMiami) - Health care fraud is nothing new to South Florida.
On Wednesday, state and federal agencies announced the arrest of 100 South Floridians as part of the largest national health care fraud takedown in history.
Those charged reportedly took part in various schemes to defraud Medicare and Medicaid out of approximately $220 million.
Nationwide, the investigation focused on 36 federal districts. It resulted in more than 300 people being charged, including 61 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals who helped steal $900 million in fraud schemes utilizing fraudulent billing.
Those arrested faces a variety of charges including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes, money laundering and aggravated identity theft.
Nearly a third of those arrested in the state are charged with fraud related to the Medicare prescription drug benefit program known as Part D, which is the fastest-growing component of the Medicare program overall.
"As this takedown should make clear, health care fraud is not an abstract violation or benign offense – It is a serious crime," said Attorney General Loretta Lynch in a statement. "The wrongdoers that we pursue in these operations seek to use public funds for private enrichment. They target real people – many of them in need of significant medical care. They promise effective cures and therapies, but they provide none. Above all, they abuse basic bonds of trust – between doctor and patient; between pharmacist and doctor; between taxpayer and government – and pervert them to their own ends."
According to court documents, those who were charged reportedly took part in schemes where claims were submitted to Medicare and Medicaid for treatments that were unnecessary and often never provided. In many cases, patient recruiters and co-conspirators were paid cash kickbacks in return for supplying beneficiary information to providers, so that the providers could then submit fraudulent bills to Medicare.
