Jacobo Melcer, a resident of Bonita and business owner, has pleaded guilty in federal court to charges related to a Medicare fraud scheme. Melcer admitted to conspiring with others to defraud Medicare of millions and paying illegal kickbacks for patient referrals.
The plea agreement reveals that Melcer submitted over $5.88 million in false claims through his two durable medical equipment (DME) companies, which sold orthotics like back, wrist, and knee braces to Medicare beneficiaries. He confessed to paying unlawful kickbacks for the referral of these beneficiaries and prescriptions, knowing that the prescriptions were not based on legitimate doctor-patient relationships or evaluations.
Melcer acknowledged paying more than $227,000 in kickbacks while fraudulently billing Medicare for $5,885,382 and receiving payments totaling $3,479,303. As part of his plea deal, he agreed to forfeit this amount as restitution.
Further admissions by Melcer include creating and selling DME companies under a nominee owner’s name to hide true ownership from Medicare. This was done because his co-conspirator had been suspended as a Medicare provider and could no longer submit claims.
Sentencing is set for October 10, 2025. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Blanca Quintero from the Southern District of California.
