Press Release
MIAMI PHARMACY OWNER PLEADS GUILTY TO HEALTH CARE FRAUD AND MONEY LAUNDERING
May 28, 2009
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, and Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, announced that defendant Barbara Ramentol, 36, of Miami-Dade County, pled guilty today to health care fraud and money laundering offenses she committed while operating BJB Pharmacy Discount, Inc., located in Hialeah, Florida.
More specifically, Ramentol pled guilty before U.S. District Court Judge James L. King to four counts of health care fraud, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1347, and four counts of money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957.
According to statements made during the plea and documents filed with the court, from June 2005 through January 2008, Ramentol executed a scheme to defraud Medicare by causing BJB Pharmacy to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for reimbursement for durable medical equipment, medications, and other health care items and services that purportedly had been provided to Medicare beneficiaries. The false claims included requests for reimbursement for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease drugs, such as albuterol, levalbuterol, and budesonide that had not been prescribed by physicians nor provided to patients. During the scheme, defendant Ramentol caused approximately $5,658,745 in fraudulent claims to be submitted to Medicare. Ramentol also admitted to laundering proceeds of her fraud scheme by writing tens of thousands of dollars in checks to various entities.
Sentencing in the case is scheduled for August 11, 2009. Ramentol faces a maximum of ten (10) years' imprisonment as to each of the health care fraud and money laundering offenses.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Hunter.
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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