8 Floridians indicted for Medicare fraud

WASHINGTON, June 26 (UPI) -- A federal grand jury handed up an indictment charging eight Florida residents with carrying out a $22 million Medicare fraud scheme, prosecutors said Friday.

The U.S. attorney's office alleges the Miami-Dade County residents ran the fraud scheme out of Miami businesses specializing in home healthcare services. Prosecutors also obtained a temporary restraining order freezing the defendants' assets and their companies.

Listed as defendants were Gladys Zambrana, Javier Zambrana, Enrique Perez, Alejandro Hernandez Quiros, Vanessa Estrada, Vicenta Tellechea, Modesto Hidalgo and Carlos Castaneda.

Their companies included ABC Home Health Care Inc. and Florida Home Health Care Providers Inc.

The indictment alleges beneficiaries were recruited and paid kickbacks and bribes to arrange for their Medicare beneficiary numbers to be used to file claims with Medicare for purported home healthcare services. The indictment claimed no services were provided and were not medically necessary.

If convicted, the defendants face up to 10 years in prison on each of several charges.

The charge of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years. Each charged count of healthcare fraud carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years and each count of paying healthcare kickbacks carries a maximum prison sentence of five years. Conspiracy to launder healthcare fraud proceeds carries a maximum prison sentence of 10 years per count.

"This indictment is a powerful example of the ongoing impact of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force," Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer said in a release announcing the charges. "Through real-time data analysis, the strike force is at the forefront of stopping healthcare fraudsters in their tracks."