Three Miami Area Doctors and Six Others Charged in $56 Million Health Care Fra...(cy to launder the proceedsof their crime...),Health

Date:5/29/2008

cy to launder the proceeds of their crimes; and four counts of money laundering. Garcia also was charged with four counts of submitting false claims to the Medicare program. If convicted on all charged counts, Garcia faces a maximum of 85 years in prison. Freire faces a maximum of 65 years in prison if convicted on all charges.

Another separate indictment alleges that between November 2002 and April 2004, Dr. Carlos Contreras, 60, and Dr. Ramon Pichardo, 58, conspired to submit approximately $6.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to the Medicare program for HIV infusion services allegedly provided at C.N.C. Medical Corp., an HIV infusion clinic at which Contreras and Pichardo were both physicians. As part of the scheme, Contreras, Pichardo and their co-conspirators would cause unnecessary tests to be ordered, medical forms to be signed and treatments to be authorized to make it appear that legitimate HIV infusion services were being provided at C.N.C Medical. They would then cause the payment of cash kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for the patients signing documents stating that they received the treatments being billed to Medicare, when in reality such treatments were not provided and not medically necessary. The indictment also alleges that Contreras and Pichardo laundered the proceeds of their crimes by sending proceeds to sham management and marketing companies owned and controlled by their co-conspirators and by sending proceeds to a company owned and controlled by Pichardo.

Contreras and Pichardo are charged with one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, to cause the submission of false claims to the Medicare program, and to pay health care kickbacks; one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud; one count of conspiracy to launder the proceeds of their crimes; and three counts each of money laundering. Contreras was also charged with three counts of submitting false claims to the Medicare program. If convic
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SOURCE U.S. Department of Justice Copyright©2008 PR Newswire. All rights reserved

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