Healthcare fraud charges in miami
May 26, 2015
Are you facing criminal charges for
healthcare fraud in Miami? If so, we want you to be aware that the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the primary agency responsible for investigating healthcare fraud involving federal and private insurance programs.
According to the FBI, healthcare fraud is a high priority, and each of its 56 field offices has personnel who are specifically assigned to investigate matters involving healthcare fraud.
The FBI proactively targets fraud through task forces and strike teams, through coordinated initiatives, and undercover operations. That said, it is critical that you be represented by an experienced Miami
federal crimes attorney if you’re the target of a fraud investigation.
Egregious Healthcare Fraud Case
On Nov. 06, 2014, the FBI gave a real-world example of an egregious case of healthcare fraud that involved a Detroit-area hematologist and oncologist, R. F. Fata.
Some of Dr. Fata’s patients were wrongly told that they had conditions such as cancer that required expensive tests, medications, and IV therapies, significantly jeopardizing the patients’ health and well-being.
After a thorough investigation by the FBI, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Offices of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigations, Fata pleaded guilty to 13 healthcare fraud crimes, including two counts of money laundering and one count of conspiracy to receive kickbacks.
Once Fata was arrested and his operations shutdown, in the months that followed agents and prosecutors poured over his financial records, billing data, and medical records to unearth all fraudulent scams. They also interviewed hundreds of witnesses including employees, patients and former patients.
Fata ultimately pleaded guilty to:
- Ordering cancer tests that were unnecessary;
- Administering unneeded human growth factors;
- Administering unnecessary iron infusions and chemotherapy infusions;
- Receiving kickbacks for referring patients for home healthcare services; and
- Promoting a cancer test fraud scheme using laundered money from his infusion fraud scheme.
According to the FBI, at Fata’s sentencing he faced up to 175 years in prison for the charges that he pleaded guilty to. However, the U.S. Attorney said that prosecutors were seeking a life sentence.
Are you facing healthcare fraud charges in Miami? Call Donet, McMillan & Trontz, P.A. to meet with a member of our award-winning legal team!
