Three Florida women will serve lengthy prison terms and make more than $2.4 million in restitution for their participation in a $20 million scheme to defraud Medicare.
Estrella Perez of Coral Gables, and Solchys Perez and Abigail Aguila, both of Miami, recruited patients for Trust Care, a Miami home healthcare agency.
Their illegal activities were exposed by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services inspector general as part of the federal government’s Medicare Fraud Task Force.
They received kickbacks for each patient they recruited, paid either in cash directly to them or by check to shell companies they had established solely for the purpose, according to the Department of Justice.
“In turn, Trust Care billed the Medicare program for home health care and therapy services that were not medically necessary or were not provided,” the Justice Department said.
The Perez women “also paid kickbacks and bribes to co-conspirators in doctors’ offices and clinics in exchange for home health and therapy prescriptions, plans of care and medical certifications for their recruited patients,” the Justice Department said.
The Medicare Fraud Task Force was established in 2007 and has charged nearly 2,000 individuals convicted of more than $6 billion of fraudulent claims.
Mark Tapscott is executive editor of the Washington Examiner.
