National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud

37 Defendants Charged in the Southern District of Florida

MIAMI – Today, United States Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne announced criminal charges against thirty-seven defendants in connection with alleged schemes to unlawfully distribute controlled substances and defraud federal health care programs, including Medicare and Medicaid. The charges were filed in federal court and are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

The Justice Department today announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.

Demonstrating the significant return on investment that results from health care fraud enforcement efforts, the government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. As part of the whole-of-government approach to combating health care fraud announced today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it successfully prevented over $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the Takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the Takedown.

Today’s Takedown was led and coordinated by the Health Care Fraud Unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 12 State Attorneys General Offices.

“This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”

“As part of making healthcare accessible and affordable to all Americans, HHS will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the pervasive health care fraud that bedeviled this agency under the former administration and drove up costs,” said Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services.

“The Criminal Division is intensely committed to rooting out health care fraud schemes and prosecuting the criminals who perpetrate them because these schemes: (1) often result in physical patient harm through medically unnecessary treatments or failure to provide the correct treatments; (2) contribute to our nationwide opioid epidemic and exacerbate controlled substance addiction; and (3) do all of that while stealing money hardworking Americans contribute to pay for the care of their elders and other vulnerable citizens,” said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices stand united with our law enforcement partners in this fight, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the integrity of our health care programs for the American people.”

“The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable,” said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. “Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care.”

“Health care fraud drains critical resources from programs intended to help people who truly need medical care,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to pursuing those who exploit the system for personal gain. With more than $13 billion in fraud uncovered, this is the largest takedown for this initiative to date. Together, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold those accountable who steal from the American people and undermine our health care systems.”

The following individuals were charged in the Southern District of Florida:

In United States v. Eduardo Tieles Ruiz, Case No. 25-20283-CR-Becerra, Eduardo Tieles Ruiz, 43, of Miami, Florida, was charged by indictment with health care fraud.  Tieles Ruiz was the owner of the clinic Newtech Medical Supply, LLC (“Newtech”), located in Margate, Florida. The indictment alleges that, between March 2022 and September 2022, the defendant, through Newtech, submitted $2,946,910 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for durable medical equipment that was not needed or provided and was paid approximately $1,310,277. HHS-OIG Miami, FBI Miami, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration (MFCU) investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Abraham is prosecuting it.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Sergio De La Noval, Case No. 25-20276-CR-Williams, Sergio De La Noval, 54, of Miami Lakes, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to offer and pay health care kickbacks to patients. As alleged in the indictment, De La Noval, as a beneficial owner of the clinic Florida Behavior Health, Inc., located in Hialeah, Florida, participated in a conspiracy to pay patients illegal kickbacks to attend psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) services at the clinic which were then billed to Medicaid. The co-conspirators used the recruited patients to submit claims to Medicaid and were paid a total of approximately $1,264,974. HHS-OIG Miami, FBI Miami, and Florida MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Abraham is prosecuting it.  Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Ernesto Davila, 25-60163-CR-Damian, Ernesto Davila, 52, of Miami, Florida, was charged by information with conspiracy to offer and pay health care kickbacks to patients. The information alleges that Davila, as the registered owner of the clinic Florida Behavior Health, Inc., located in Hialeah, Florida, participated in a conspiracy to pay patients illegal kickbacks to attend psychosocial rehabilitation (PSR) services at the clinic, which were then billed to Medicaid. The co-conspirators used the recruited patients to submit claims to Medicaid and were paid a total of approximately $1,264,974. HHS-OIG Miami, FBI Miami, and the Florida MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Abraham is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Dave Sudarshan Singh, Case No. 25-60164-CR-Leibowitz, Dave Sudarshan Singh, 37, of Pembroke Pines, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, health care fraud, and money laundering for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for over-the-counter (OTC) COVID-19 tests for Medicare beneficiaries who had not requested the tests, including some claims where the Medicare beneficiaries were actually deceased. Between April 4, 2022, and May 11, 2023, Medicare covered up to eight OTC COVID-19 tests per month for Medicare beneficiaries who requested them. As alleged in the Indictment, Singh, along with his co-conspirators, through his business, MDP Products and Services, Inc., submitted and caused the submission of approximately $14,112,672 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, of which approximately $13,007,376 was paid, for OTC COVID-19 tests that the Medicare beneficiaries did not request and were not eligible for reimbursement. The indictment alleges that Singh and his co-conspirators paid marketing companies kickbacks and bribes in exchange for Medicare beneficiary information needed to bill for OTC COVID-19 tests. The indictment also alleges that Singh engaged in a $198,160 transaction using health care fraud proceeds at a Mercedes dealership and seeks to forfeit a 2021 White Mercedes G63. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Timothy Abraham of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, with assistance from HHS-OIG, FBI, and the Florida MFCU. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Patrick Buchanan, Case No. 25-60163-CR-Damian, Patrick Buchanan, 39, of Broward County, Florida, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit wire fraud. Buchanan was the registered owner of Sigma Institute of Health Careers, Inc., located in Lauderhill, Florida. As charged, Buchanan participated in a conspiracy to sell fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts to individuals seeking licenses and jobs as registered nurses. FBI Miami, HHS-OIG Miami, and MFCU investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Clark is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grasnoff is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Jacquez Dion Tullis, et al., Case No. 25-20271-CR-Ruiz, Jacquez Dion Tullis, 41, of Tamarac, Florida; Taneka Nakia Pace, 49, of Miami, Florida; and Junaque Nicole Tullis, a/k/a “Juanaque Tullis,” 44, of Coral Springs, Florida, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, aggravated identity theft, and wire fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud financial institutions out of approximately $1,780,000 through the submission of fraudulent credit applications for cosmetic surgery and other medical services that were never provided. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants created six cosmetic surgery clinics and then submitted applications on behalf of those clinics to become approved merchants with financial institutions with lending programs that provided lines of credit to individuals seeking funding for out-of-pocket medical care, treatments, and services not covered by insurance. The defendants then used the personal identifying information of individuals without their authorization or consent to submit credit applications to those financial institutions on behalf of those individuals, falsely certifying that the clinics would provide cosmetic surgery and related medical care to them. In fact, the clinics never provided any such medical care, nor did the individuals on whose behalf the clinics submitted credit applications need or want any such treatments. The defendants are also charged with individual counts of wire fraud for submitting fraudulent loan applications on behalf of the clinics and another business to the Small Business Administration for small business loans designed to provide emergency financial assistance to businesses suffering from the economic effects caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Demirci is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Noris Artola, et al., Case No. 25-20296-CR-Williams, Noris Artola, 64, and Ailyn Francisco, 40, both of Miami, Florida, were charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to the Medicare Part D Program on behalf of Miami-based US Hwy 1 Pharmacy Inc. for the provision of prescription drugs to Medicare beneficiaries that were medically unnecessary and, in many cases, never provided. As a result of these false and fraudulent claims, the Medicare Part D Program and Medicare drug plan sponsors paid US Hwy 1 Pharmacy Inc. approximately $784,903. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Demirci is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Jorge Luis Almansa, et al., Case No. 25-60142-CR-Dimitrouleas, Jorge Luis Almansa, 53, and Christian “Chris” Cruz, 44, both of Pompano Beach, Florida, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud and health care fraud for submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare in the approximate amount of $11,417,462 for the provision of durable medical equipment to Medicare beneficiaries. As a result, Medicare paid approximately $3,712,345, which Almansa and Cruz then distributed to themselves and their co-conspirators. The indictment alleges that Almansa and Cruz, through a company called Brace Yourself, paid marketing companies for referrals of Medicare beneficiaries for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment (“DME”). The marketers used telemedicine companies to obtain doctors’ orders prescribing DME to beneficiaries who had never been seen by the prescribing doctor, which Brace Yourself would then use to bill Medicare. In some instances, the marketers generated doctors’ orders that included the electronic signature of a beneficiary’s own doctor without that doctor’s permission or authorization. HHS-OIG and FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Will J. Rosenzweig is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Demirci is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Jean Jethro Alexandre, et al., Case No. 25-60147-CR-Dimitrouleas, Jean Jethro Alexandre, 44, of Haiti; Cheyenne Twinette Early, 30, of Plantation, Florida; and Sheere Antoinette Proctor, 51, of Plantation, Florida, were charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Alexandre, Early, and Proctor were the owners, operators, and managers of CMJ Health Group, Inc. (“CMJ”), located in Miami Gardens, Florida, and The Proctor Medical Group (“TPMG”), located in Pompano Beach, Florida. CMJ and TPMG purported to operate as medical clinics providing health care services to individuals for the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), including human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS). In reality, defendants and their co-conspirators ran CMJ and TPMG as prescription mills for drugs intended to prevent and treat HIV/AIDS, which CMJ acquired at significant discounts from drug manufacturers through its participation in the 340B Drug Pricing Program (the “340B Program”). Defendants and their co-conspirators exploited the 340B Program by, among other things, paying kickbacks to patient recruiters and purported patients to furnish prescriptions for 340B drugs; falsifying dispensing records; destroying 340B drugs before they were provided to any person; and using the fraud proceeds for their personal benefit. The alleged intended loss from the conspiracy was approximately $58.1 million.  FBI Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney David A. Snider is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Richard Weldon Crowder II, Case No. 25-60150-CR-Smith, Richard Weldon Crowder II, 59, of Miami, Florida, the true owner of New Day Health Solutions (“New Day”), Liberty Medical Supply (“Liberty”), and RNK Medical Supply Inc. (“RNK”) in Boca Raton, Florida, was charged by criminal information. The information charges the defendant with conspiracy to commit health care fraud for conducting a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare on behalf of unsuspecting beneficiaries for durable medical equipment (“DME”). The information alleges that, in addition to naming another employee as the listed owner of New Day, Liberty, and RNK in order to hide his own ownership of the companies, the defendant also conspired with others to enlist the services of telemedicine doctors who would sign off on medically unnecessary DME prescriptions for the Medicare beneficiaries. The information alleges that, from June 2022 through September 2022, New Day, Liberty, and RNK received approximately $381,703 in fraudulently induced reimbursements from Medicare. HHS-OIG investigated the case with assistance from the FBI Miami. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea, Jr., and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v Lazaro Delgado, Case No. 25-20290-CR-Ruiz, Lazaro Delgado, 59, of Miami, Florida, was charged by criminal information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. The information alleges that the defendant participated, along with other co-conspirators, in a scheme to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid on behalf of unsuspecting beneficiaries. The information also alleges that the defendant acted as an intermediary to place a nominal owner as the head of Hucel Custom Med Inc. (Hucel), while other co-conspirators coordinated the false and fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment products that the beneficiaries did not need. The information alleges that, from January 2022 through at least July 2022, Hucel fraudulently billed Medicare/Medicaid for approximately $9 million worth of orthotic braces and received Medicare/Medicaid reimbursements for approximately $1.8 million from the fraudulent claims. Health and Human Services—Office of Inspector General and Homeland Security Investigations investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea, Jr., and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Juan Carlos Cardella, 25-20280-CR-Gayles, Juan Carlos Cardella, 60, of Miami, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiring to sell and distribute Medicare beneficiary identifier numbers under the Medicare Access and CHIP Reauthorization Act (“MACRA”), possession of fifteen or more unauthorized access devices, and aggravated identity theft. The indictment alleges that going back as far as around June 2022, the defendant conspired with others to obtain confidential patient information from a regional health care provider based in Miami-Dade County, in order to sell the patient names, dates of birth, and Medicare beneficiary numbers of those patients to unauthorized individuals. The indictment further alleges that on multiple occasions, including as recently as November 14, 2024, and February 11, 2025, the defendant sold patient lists of more than 100 Medicare beneficiaries for approximately $7,000 per list. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea, Jr., and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v Marlen Veliz Rios, Case No. 25-20281-CR-Ruiz, Marlen Veliz Rios, 58, of Hialeah, Florida, owner of Loves Community Health Mental Health Inc. (“Loves”), was charged by indictment with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The indictment alleges that Veliz Rios carried out a scheme with others to fraudulently bill approximately $15,349,089 worth of wound care and skin graft products on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries that never received and did not need them, and that Loves received approximately $10,033,562 in fraudulently induced reimbursements from Medicare. Further, the indictment alleges that upon receipt of the fraud proceeds, Veliz Rios caused bank transfers from the Loves bank account to shell companies that she also controlled. The indictment also alleges that Veliz laundered fraud proceeds by issuing checks from her shell company accounts to others. As a result of this broader investigation, the government has already seized more than $4,600,000 in fraud proceeds from the various accounts involved in this case. HHS-OIG and the FBI Miami investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Eduardo Gardea, Jr., and Assistant U.S. Attorney G. Raemy Charest-Turken is handling the asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Ismaray Alvarez Larzabal, Case No. 25-20287-CR-Gayles, Ismaray Alvarez Larzabal, 38, of Cape Coral, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with two fraudulent durable medical equipment (“DME”) companies that defrauded Medicare and Medicaid in the approximate amount of $8 million for DME that was medically unnecessary and not being provided as represented. As alleged in the indictment, Larzabal was the manager and registered agent of Larzabal Remodeling Services, LLC, which she used to launder approximately $615,078 of fraud proceeds into the company’s bank account and her personal bank accounts. HHS-Miami and the MFCU investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant United States Attorney Marc Canzio of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitch Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Onel Marquez Rodriguez, a/k/a "Osiel," Case No. 25-20279-CR-Williams, Marquez Rodriguez, 55, of Miami, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering involving health care fraud proceeds and money laundering of health care fraud proceeds. The indictment alleges that between June 2019 and December 2023, the defendant, with others, laundered approximately $4,341,676 in health care fraud payments from health care companies and shell companies through hundreds of checks written to several money laundering companies. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG Miami investigated the case. Assistant United States Attorney Roger Cruz is prosecuting it. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Approximately $1,008,709.82 in U.S. Currency Seized from Account No. 9116035605 at Citibank, N.A., in the Name of Florida Med Equip Corp., Case No. 25-cv-22648-RKA, a civil asset forfeiture action, the United States seeks to forfeit $1,008,709.42 in health care fraud proceeds seized from Florida Med Equip Corp.’s bank account. Florida Med was a Florida corporation located in Sunrise, Florida, that between January 2022 and September 2022 submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment that was medically unnecessary and not provided as represented. Many providers and Medicare beneficiaries told law enforcement that they did not prescribe, receive, request, or need any of the medical equipment that Florida Med cited when it billed Medicare. Medicare paid approximately $1,163,967 to Florida Med, and law enforcement seized almost all of it, $1,008,709. In this civil forfeiture complaint, the money is the defendant, and the United States alleges that this money is proceeds of a conspiracy to commit health care fraud and proceeds of health care fraud subject to civil asset forfeiture pursuant to 18 U.S.C. § 981(a)(1)(C). This case is being prosecuted by Asset Forfeiture Assistant U.S. Attorney Gabrielle Raemy Charest-Turken in the Southern District of Florida.

In United States v Jose Ramon Chang Moreno, Case No. 25-mj-8351-WM, Jose Ramon Chang Moreno, 38, of Miami, Florida, owner of Quantum Complete Inc. (“Quantum”), was charged via complaint with health care fraud. The complaint alleges that Chang Moreno carried out a scheme to fraudulently bill approximately $9,403,423 worth of wound care products, on behalf of Medicare beneficiaries that never received and did not need them, and that Quantum received approximately $4,980,418 in fraudulently induced reimbursements from Medicare. HHS-OIG and FBI Miami investigated the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Shannon Shaw.

In United States v. Caleb Espinoza, Case No. 25-20291-CR-Altonaga, Caleb Espinoza, 28, of Weston, Florida, was charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States. As alleged in the Information, Espinoza created and enrolled with Medicare a series of durable medical equipment (“DME”) companies that he then sold to various conspirators who desired to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare. Espinoza and his co-conspirators falsified Medicare enrollment forms and other records to conceal the true ownership and management of the DME companies, which enabled the true owners who purchased the DME companies to immediately submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare. The DME companies that Espinoza sold as part of the conspiracy made false and fraudulent claims totaling approximately $21,635,791 for orthotic braces and wound dressings that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, and not provided as billed. Medicare paid approximately $9,197,220 for these claims. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Angela J. Benoit, with substantial assistance from Jessica A. Massey of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Sandra Demirci of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Sean J. Alterman, Case No. 25-80105-CR-Middlebrooks, Sean J. Alterman, 37, of Lake Worth, Florida, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to offer and pay health care kickbacks in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic testing.  As alleged in the information, Alterman owned two laboratories through which he billed Medicare for doctors’ orders that he procured through kickbacks. Specifically, he paid call center operators to generate the orders by running deceptive telemarketing campaigns to persuade the Medicare beneficiaries to agree to the tests. The call centers then would “doctor chase” the beneficiaries’ physicians to sign orders for the tests by sending them faxes containing false, fraudulent, and misleading representations designed to induce them into ordering the tests. Alterman’s laboratories billed approximately $52 million to Medicare, of which about $36 million was paid. Alterman is forfeiting his primary residence located in Lake Worth, Florida, and his 2022 Rolls Royce Ghost as assets traceable to proceeds of the scheme. HHS-OIG and FBI Miami investigated the case.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Reginald Cuyler Jr. and Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. John R. Robinson Jr., Case No. 25-80104-CR-Rosenberg, John R. Robinson Jr., 35, of Boca Raton, Florida, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to solicit and receive health care kickbacks in connection with a scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic testing. As alleged in the information, Robinson owned a call center through which he sold doctors’ orders for genetic tests to laboratories by running deceptive telemarketing campaigns to get the Medicare beneficiaries to agree to the tests. His call center then would “doctor chase” the beneficiaries’ physicians to sign orders for the tests by sending them faxes containing false, fraudulent, and misleading representations designed to induce them into ordering the tests. The laboratories to which he sold the orders billed approximately $62 million to Medicare, of which about $44 million was paid. HHS-OIG and FBI Miami investigated the case.  The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Reginald Cuyler Jr. and Aisha Schafer Hylton of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Marx Calderon of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. 

In United States v. Marco Antonio Rosas Scamarone, et al., Case No. 25-60148-CR-Singhal, Marco Antonio Rosas Scamarone a/k/a “King Po,” 33, Renee Vazquez a/k/a “King Jungle,” 32, and Roberto Vasquez Morales, 32, all of Tamarac, Florida, and Jose Cristobal Mendez a/k/a “BayBay,” 33, of Coral Springs, Florida, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States for their roles in a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicare approximately $6.8 million for durable medical equipment (“DME”) that was medically unnecessary and procured through the payment of kickbacks and bribes to marketers, including to an offshore call center. Scamarone, Mendez, and Vazquez were also charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering and multiple counts of money laundering for their roles laundering the proceeds of the fraud through shell companies. As alleged in the Indictment, Scamarone and Mendez purchased two DME companies, Braces and Orthotics LLC and Stone Oak Durable Medical Equipment, LLC, and concealed their ownership of these companies from Medicare by employing Vazquez and another individual to serve as the listed owners of the companies. Scamarone and Morales paid kickbacks and bribes to co-conspirators, including one who operated an offshore call center based in the Philippines, to obtain Medicare beneficiary information and doctors’ orders used to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary DME. Medicare paid approximately $2,685,000 based on the false and fraudulent claims submitted. Scamarone, Mendez, and Vazquez then used shell companies held in the names of friends and relatives to launder fraud proceeds from the DME companies. Scamarone and Vazquez also concealed their involvement by making cash withdrawals from various accounts, including a $50,000 cash withdrawal from an account for Stone Oak. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Jamie de Boer of the Florida Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski of the Southern District of Florida, with substantial assistance from Trial Attorneys Jessica A. Massey and Claire Horrell of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is handling asset forfeiture. FBI Miami, HHS-OIG, DOL-OIG, and MFCU investigated the case, with support from the Broward County Sheriff’s Office and DOL-EBSA.  This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

In United States v. Erit Estrada Espinosa, Case No. 25-60135-CR-Altonaga, Erit Estrada Espinosa, 52, of Miami, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and two counts of distributing a controlled substance. The indictment alleges that, between April 2022 and October 2022, the defendant conspired with others to distribute oxycodone. The indictment further alleges that the defendant distributed 160 tablets of 30mg oxycodone on September 23, 2022, and 145 tablets of 30mg oxycodone on October 21, 2022. FBI Miami, HHS-OIG Miami, and DEA Miami investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Thor Pogozelski is prosecuting it. 

In United States v. Sergei Margulian et al., Case No. 25-60144-CR-Smith, Dr. Sergei Margulian, 58, of Hallandale Beach, Florida, and Damary Mendez, 53, of Miami, Florida, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and multiple counts of distributing a controlled substance. As alleged in the indictment, the defendants conspired to distribute at least 2,933,013 pills of oxycodone to patients of two pain clinics located in South Florida, ignoring obvious signs of addiction and drug diversion in these patients. Dr. Margulian, a licensed medical doctor who owned and operated the clinics, prescribed oxycodone to patients without medical need and on dates when he was out of the country and did not see or examine the patients. Mendez, an employee of the clinics, sent Margulian lists that contained patients’ names, dates of birth, and the number of pills of oxycodone to prescribe to them, knowing that Margulian had neither seen nor examined those patients on that date and knowing that Margulian would write electronic prescriptions for oxycodone for them. Approximately $74,000 was seized from the clinics and related bank accounts. FBI Miami and HHS-OIG investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture. This case is part of an Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (“OCDETF”) operation. OCDETF identifies, disrupts, and dismantles the highest-level criminal organizations that threaten the United States using a prosecutor-led, intelligence-driven, multi-agency approach. Additional information about the OCDETF Program can be found at www.justice.gov/OCDETF.

In United States v. Olushola Yusuf et al., Case No. 25-60145-CR -Damian, Olushola Yusuf, 59, and Saman Cala Gimenez, 53, both of Tampa, Florida, were charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute a controlled substance and five counts each of distributing and dispensing a controlled substance in connection with their roles in a scheme to illegally dispense oxycodone through two pharmacies, Boots LLC d/b/a Striderite Pharmacy (“Boots”) and Chans Pharmacy Plus, Inc. (“Chans”). As alleged in the indictment, from in or around April 2021 through in or around October 2024, the defendants, through Boots and Chans, dispensed at least 335,351 pills of oxycodone 30mg, which is highly addictive and dangerous, to patients of Boots and Chans who showed obvious signs of addiction and drug diversion. As alleged in the indictment, Yusuf, a licensed pharmacist who owned and operated Boots and Chans, dispensed oxycodone to nearly all of Boots’ and Chans’ patients without medical need and also dispensed it to patient recruiters, including Gimenez. Gimenez purchased numerous prescriptions for oxycodone from multiple patients to fill at Boots and Chans in order to aggregate the pills. Patients and patient recruiters often paid Boots and Chans in cash even though they had insurance that covered some or all of the cost of prescription medications. DEA, FBI Miami, and HHS-OIG investigated the case.  The case is being prosecuted by DOJ Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Grosnoff of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Irakli Nakashidze, Case No. 25-03116-MJ-D’Angelo, Irakli Nakashidze, 34, of Miami, Florida, was charged by complaint with money laundering in connection with the submission of approximately $113 million in fraudulent claims for durable medical equipment. As alleged in the complaint, Nakashidze, the owner of ABRH Care Inc., laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars paid by insurers to ABRH for medical equipment and wound dressings that were never actually provided to beneficiaries. HHS-OIG, FBI Miami, and OPM-OIG investigated the case. HSI, USCIS-FDNS, and USMS provided valuable assistance. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Claire Horrell and Angela Benoit of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Paster of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida is handling asset forfeiture.

In United States v. Christopher Harwood, Case No. 25-60138-CR-Dimitrouleas, Christopher Harwood, 43, of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to solicit and receive health care kickbacks, and solicitation and receipt of kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program, in connection with a $46.2 million scheme to generate and sell signed doctors’ orders for medically unnecessary DME and laboratory tests. As alleged in the Indictment, Harwood and his co-conspirators used telemarketing companies to recruit Medicare beneficiaries, and then Harwood arranged for medical providers to sign doctors’ orders for DME and laboratory tests for the beneficiaries regardless of medical necessity, in the absence of a doctor-patient relationship, without a physical examination, and frequently without even speaking to the beneficiary at all. Harwood solicited and received illegal kickbacks and bribes from purported marketers and the owners of DME companies and laboratories for the signed doctors’ orders. Harwood also acquired, managed, and operated multiple DME suppliers and used the doctors’ orders he generated to submit false and fraudulent claims to Medicare himself. Harwood used a web platform he called TelevisitMD as the nucleus of his operations. HHS-OIG and FBI Miami investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Owen Dunn and Jennifer Burns of the Florida and National Rapid Response Strike Forces. Assistant U.S. Attorney Annika Miranda is handling asset forfeiture. Trial Attorney Evan Schlom of the Special Matters Unit has provided invaluable assistance.

In United States v. Susan Braddock, Case No. 25-80103-CR-Rosenberg, Susan Braddock, 63, of Fort Worth, Texas, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with a $26.4 million Medicare fraud scheme. As alleged in the information, Braddock owned and operated a telemedicine company called Big Easy Bad Dog (“BEBD”), through which she billed Medicare for telemedicine consultations that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, and not provided as billed. Through BEBD, Braddock also sold doctors’ orders to laboratories for medically unnecessary genetic tests based on the purported telehealth consultations. BEBD and the laboratories submitted approximately $24,666,245 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare as a result of Braddock’s conduct, and Medicare paid approximately $9,581,330 based on these claims. HHS-OIG and FBI Miami investigated the case. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Reginald Cuyler Jr. and Owen Dunn of the Florida Strike Force. Assistant U.S. Attorney Mitchell Hyman is handling asset forfeiture.

U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida, acting Special Agent in Charge Jesus Barranco of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office, and Special Agent in Charge Brett D. Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office made the announcement.

The United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida, worked with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), FBI Miami, and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Florida Agency for Health Care Administration to investigate and prosecute these cases filed during the enforcement period.

The Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, and Texas Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the District of Arizona, Central District of California, Northern District of California, Southern District of California, District of Columbia, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle, District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Middle, District of Georgia, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Eastern District of Kentucky, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Maine, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Northern District of Mississippi, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nevada, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Western District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, District of North Dakota, Northern District of Ohio, Southern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, District of South Carolina, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Washington, and Northern District of West Virginia; and State Attorney Generals’ Offices for Arizona, California, Georgia, Illinois, Indiana, Louisiana, Massachusetts, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and Pennsylvania are prosecuting the cases in the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, with assistance from the Health Care Fraud Unit’s Data Analytics Team.

A complaint, information, or indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

You may find a copy of this press release (and any updates) on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.justice.gov/usao-sdfl.

Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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