The owner of a former Miami home health agency as well as nine additional participants have been indicted for their roles in a Medicare fraud scheme that allegedly bilked the federal government out of $12.5 million.
The defendants, including former owner of Marcialed and Sacred Health, Vicente Diaz, were indicted on 59 counts from health care fraud to wire fraud and conspiracy to pay and receive bribes and kickbacks in connection with a federal health care program.
Diaz faces additional charges for his part in controlling the home health agencies through which the fraud was conducted.
The agencies, located in Miami-Dade County, purported to provide home health services, according to the Department of Justice. However, Diaz and one accomplice allegedly offered and paid kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters in return for referring Medicare beneficiaries to serve as patients of the two agencies. Both Maricaled and Sacred Health billed Medicare for services that were not provided or were not medically necessary.
The indictment included 59 counts collectively against Diaz, 39; Daniel Ocampo, 35; Elsa Capo, 71; Santiago Sepulveda, 79; Marta Curbeco, 67; Margarita Rodriguez, 72; Francisco Maysonet, 67; Pedro Peralta, 69; Amira Galan, 79; and Ana Rosa Santana, 77. The fraud took place between November 2011 and October 2013, according to the DOJ.
Written by Elizabeth Ecker
Companies featured in this article:
