The Justice Department has announced that Marieva Briceno, a native of Venezuela, has been stripped of her U.S. citizenship after being convicted of defrauding Medicare and concealing her crimes during the naturalization process.
According to the department, Briceno owned three clinics in Detroit, Michigan, which were involved in paying Medicare beneficiaries to undergo unnecessary tests and procedures. Between May 2007 and January 2010, Briceno and others submitted fraudulent claims totaling over $5.4 million to Medicare. Of those claims, Medicare paid nearly $3 million, with Briceno personally receiving more than $500,000.
“The denaturalization of Marieva Briceno shows that if you steal from the programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens, you will be found out, prosecuted, and suffer the consequences of your actions, up to and including the loss of your U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
“American citizenship is a privilege built on honesty and respect for our laws. You cannot defraud Medicare, conceal your crimes, and expect to secure the benefits of citizenship,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Fraud against programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens and lies told to obtain naturalization undermine the integrity of both our healthcare system and our immigration process. Our Office will continue to protect taxpayer dollars, defend the rule of law, and ensure that U.S. citizenship is reserved for those who earn it lawfully.”
Briceno applied for U.S. citizenship in December 2009 but failed to disclose her involvement in health care fraud both on her application and during an interview with immigration officials. She was granted citizenship in March 2010.
In September 2011, Briceno was charged by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud under federal statutes 18 U.S.C. § 1347 and § 1349 respectively. She pleaded guilty in March 2012 to conspiracy charges and was sentenced to five years in prison.
The Justice Department filed a complaint seeking Briceno’s denaturalization in August this year based on her conviction and failure to disclose criminal activity during naturalization proceedings. On November 17th, Judge Darrin Gayles revoked her citizenship.
Deputy Chief Hans H. Chen led prosecution efforts from the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation along with assistance from Homeland Security Investigations (HSI), ICE’s legal office, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Feeley for the Southern District of Florida.
