U.S. Attorney E. Martin Estrada | U.S. Department of Justice
A Ventura County physician, Dr. Victor Contreras, has been sentenced to two years in federal prison for his involvement in a Medicare fraud scheme. The sentencing was delivered by United States District Judge André Birotte Jr., who also mandated restitution payments amounting to $3,289,889.
Dr. Contreras, aged 69 and residing in Santa Paula, had previously pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud on July 24. His fraudulent activities spanned from July 2016 to February 2019 and involved the submission of nearly $4 million in false claims for hospice services through two companies: Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc. and Saint Mariam Hospice Inc., both controlled by co-defendant Juanita Antenor.
The fraudulent claims were based on false certifications that patients were terminally ill, making them eligible for Medicare-covered hospice services. Contreras admitted to adopting diagnoses provided by hospice employees without verifying their accuracy or consulting with the patients' primary care physicians.
Medicare paid approximately $3,289,889 out of the total $3,917,946 in fraudulent claims submitted under this scheme. Records indicate that Dr. Contreras is a licensed physician in California but has been under probation since 2015 with restrictions on his practice.
Juanita Antenor remains at large following these developments. Another co-defendant, Callie Black from Lancaster, accused of recruiting patients for kickbacks, has pleaded not guilty and is set for trial on March 4, 2025.
This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the FBI, and the California Department of Justice. It is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Kristen A. Williams and Aylin Kuzucan.
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