Current:Home > Contact-usFlorida health clinic owner sentenced in $36 million fraud scheme that recruited fake patients-InfoLens
Florida health clinic owner sentenced in $36 million fraud scheme that recruited fake patients
View Date:2024-12-23 11:24:44
A Florida woman has been sentenced to more than eight years in prison for her role in a health care fraud conspiracy that brought in $8.6 million.
Arisleidys Fernandez Delmas, 33, is the lead defendant in a federal case against 15 individuals that were allegedly involved in the scheme, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office in Miami. She pleaded guilty to health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud in a plea deal in July. Eleven other defendants also pleaded guilty, the Department of Justice said in a Friday news release.
Court records show Fernandez Delmas and the defendants billed $36 million to insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield for physical therapy services that were not necessary or provided.
She was sentenced to eight years and eight months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release. She will also have to pay $8,671,377 in restitution. The attorneys representing her did not immediately respond to USA TODAY's emailed request for comment Monday.
'Modern-day-mafia':14 charged in Florida retail theft ring that stole $20 million in goods
Inside the health care fraud scheme that billed over $36 million
From October 2018 to November 2022, Fernandez Delmas and other leaders in the scheme recruited employees of JetBlue Airways, AT&T Inc., and TJX Companies Inc, all members of health care benefit programs managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield, court records show.
The employees were offered compensation to act as patients receiving services that either did not happen or were not necessary, so that the clinics could file claims with Blue Cross Blue Shield, according to prosecutors.
Fernandez Delmas was one of the true owners of at least 25 different health clinics in the Miami area. Licensed physical therapists were also recruited to lend credibility to the medical claims submitted and help the clinic owners avoid medical licensing requirements for their businesses, according to the DOJ.
Court records show that Fernandez Delmas received more than $880,000 in compensation from 11 of the clinics for her managerial role in operating the scheme.
veryGood! (47836)
Related
- Utah AD Mark Harlan rips officials following loss to BYU, claims game was 'stolen from us'
- What to know about Maine's gun laws after Lewiston mass shooting
- Kentucky Supreme Court strikes down new law giving participants right to change venue
- Taylor Swift returns to Arrowhead stadium to cheer on Travis Kelce
- Golden Bachelorette: Joan Vassos Gets Engaged During Season Finale
- Coyotes' Travis Dermott took stand that led NHL to reverse Pride Tape ban. Here's why.
- Twitter takeover: 1 year later, X struggles with misinformation, advertising and usage decline
- Jay-Z talks 'being a beacon,' settles $500K or lunch with him debate
- US wholesale inflation picks up slightly in sign that some price pressures remain elevated
- 'Naked Attraction' offers low-hanging fruit
Ranking
- Suspected shooter and four others are found dead in three Kansas homes, police say
- Norfolk Southern investing in automated inspection systems on its railroad to improve safety
- Maine massacre among worst mass shootings in modern US history
- Exiled Russian journalist discusses new book, alleged poisoning attempt
- Sam LaPorta injury update: Lions TE injures shoulder, 'might miss' Week 11
- Snow piles up in North Dakota as region’s first major snowstorm of the season moves eastward
- Tennessee attorney general sues federal government over abortion rule blocking funding
- Israel strikes outskirts of Gaza City during second ground raid in as many days
Recommendation
-
Jeep slashes 2025 Grand Cherokee prices
-
As the Turkish Republic turns 100, here’s a look at its achievements and challenges ahead
-
China shows off a Tibetan boarding school that’s part of a system some see as forced assimilation
-
Javelinas tore up an Arizona golf course. Now some are arguing about its water use
-
DWTS' Sasha Farber Claps Back at Diss From Jenn Tran's Ex Devin Strader
-
Grand jury indicts Illinois man on hate crime, murder charges in attack on Muslim mom, son
-
In With The New: Shop Lululemon's Latest Styles & We Made Too Much Drops
-
Parts of Gaza look like a wasteland from space. Look for the misshapen buildings and swaths of gray