Hayden O’Byrne United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida | The Florida Bar
Manuel Delgado, a 64-year-old contractor from Miami, has admitted to accepting bribes and engaging in self-dealing as part of a conspiracy aimed at obstructing the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). The scheme involved impeding their oversight of the Medicare program.
Court documents reveal that Delgado worked with the Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC), inspecting durable medical equipment (DME) companies for compliance with CMS quality standards. Accreditation by BOC was necessary for CMS approval, allowing these companies to bill Medicare.
Delgado accepted cash bribes from various DME company owners to speed up their accreditation process. Additionally, he created DME companies under family members' names to hide his interests. He inspected these companies himself, securing BOC accreditation and CMS approval before selling them as Medicare-enrolled suppliers. The fraudulent value of these accredited DME companies exceeded $1.4 million.
Delgado entered his guilty plea during a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ellen D’Angelo. Judge K. Michael Moore will receive a report and recommendation based on this plea.
Delgado could face up to five years in prison, with further court proceedings pending.
The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O’Byrne for the Southern District of Florida; Supervisory Official Antoinette T. Bacon from the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan P. Lynch from HHS-OIG's Miami Regional Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles from the FBI Miami Field Office.
The investigation was conducted by FBI Miami and HHS-OIG, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee C. Jimenez and Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian are prosecuting the case with Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove handling asset forfeiture.
For more information or updates on this case, visit the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida's website or check related court documents on the District Court's site using case number 25-cr-20006.
