U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced June 28 that a Justice Department probe has led to criminal charges against 14 people in connection with more than $1.9 billion in fraud claims against government and private health care benefit programs.
“The results of this nationwide coordinated law enforcement effort that we announce today exemplify our office’s ongoing commitment to prosecuting health care fraud-related schemes,” Lapointe wrote June 28 in a release by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida. “We will continue to hold accountable those who exploit health care programs for personal profit in South Florida.”
The investigation was part of the DOJ's 2023 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action, and the accusations are related to a number of schemes to illegally distribute adulterated and mislabeled prescription medications, as well as schemes to defraud public and private health care benefit programs by filing false claims for goods and services that were not required or were never provided, according to the release.
Accusations were levied against 78 defendants for their alleged involvement in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that led to the submission of more than $2.5 billion in false billings, Lapointe said. The probe was part of a strategically planned, two-week nationwide law enforcement operation, in which defendants are accused of defrauding organizations responsible for the care of the elderly and disabled and, in certain cases, using the money earned from the scams to buy opulent items like exotic cars and yachts, the DOJ reported.
“This nationwide enforcement action demonstrates that the Criminal Division is committed to fighting health care fraud and opioid abuse by prosecuting those who allegedly exploit patients and health care benefit programs for personal gain," Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in the release. "Today’s announcement includes some of the largest and most complex cases that the Department has prosecuted, and demonstrates the Department’s commitment to seeking justice for those at all levels of the healthcare industry who put profits above patient care, from professionals in doctors’ offices to executives in corporate boardrooms.”
