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Press Release

Administrator of Miami-Area Home Health Agency Convicted of Conspiracy to Commit $2.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

For Immediate Release
Office of Public Affairs

The administrator of a Miami-area home health agency was convicted today for his role in a $2.5 million Medicare fraud scheme.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Division and Special Agent in Charge Shimon R. Richmond of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement.

Raciel Leon, 42, of Miami, was convicted after a two-week jury trial of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care bribes and kickbacks.

According to evidence presented at trial, between approximately October 2014 and June 2015, Leon was the manager of Mercy Home Care Inc. (Mercy) and a billing employee for D&D&D Home Health Care Inc. (DDD), both of which were home health agencies in Miami-Dade County, Florida.  The evidence showed that Leon and his co-conspirators used the companies to submit false claims to Medicare that were based on services that were not medically necessary, not actually provided and for patients that were procured through the payment of illegal kickbacks to doctors and patient recruiters.  In an attempt to support the false claims, Leon’s co-conspirators forged prescriptions and other medical records, and Leon submitted claims to Medicare based on the falsified documentation.

The evidence introduced at trial further established that between October 2014 and June 2015, Medicare paid approximately $2.5 million for false and fraudulent claims submitted by Mercy and DDD.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida.  Fraud Section Trial Attorneys Lisa Miller and Angela Adams are prosecuting the case.

The Fraud Section leads the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.  Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 3,000 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $11 billion.  In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, are taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

Updated December 15, 2016

Topic
Health Care Fraud
Press Release Number: 16-1483