The out-of-state patients, suffering from disabilities and addictions, were lured to South Florida with the promise of a roof over their head.
But once they arrived, with their valuable Medicare cards in hand, they would be squeezed into rundown assisted-living facilities and steered to purported mental-health programs -- at a multimillion-dollar cost to taxpayers, authorities say. If they dropped out of the group therapy sessions, the ALF owners would toss the patients out into the street.
“They were down on their luck,” U.S. Attorney Wifredo Ferrer said, explaining how the latest Medicare scam would target patients from the Southeast. “Come on down, have a fresh start in Miami. But there was a catch.”
On Wednesday, Ferrer announced that federal agents arrested 42 suspects on Medicare fraud charges in South Florida, including the owners of Biscayne Milieu Health Center, a Fort Lauderdale psychiatrist who referred patients to the Miami Gardens clinic, patient recruiters and ALF landlords. Other defendants were operators of home healthcare agencies, HIV-therapy clinics and medical equipment businesses.
Collectively, they’re accused of submitting $160 million in false claims to Medicare for services that were either not needed or provided to patients. In turn, Medicare paid out more than $90 million, according to authorities.
Medicare fraud case nets dozens of arrests - Miami-Dade - MiamiHerald.com
