LAWFUEL – The Legal Newswire – R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced that four (4) defendants charged in a multi-million dollar health care fraud ring were arrested earlier today. The indictment charges defendants Blanca Cordon, Leandro Nunez, Moises Cordon, Jr. and Edward Cordon with conspiracy to defraud the United States, in violation of 18 U.S.C. §371, and actually defrauding Medicare, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347. In addition, defendant Blanca Cordon is separately charged with identity theft for fraudulently utilizing Unique Physician Identification Numbers (UPIN) without the corresponding physician’s approval or knowledge, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1028(a)(7) and §1028 (b)(1)(A). The case has been assigned to United States District Court Judge Middlebrooks in West Palm Beach.
According to the Indictment, King Buda Medical Equipment (KBME) and Kind Buda Medical Supplies (KBMS) were both durable medical equipment companies. Through both companies, the defendants billed Medicare for durable medical equipment, including wheelchairs, wound dressings, power pressure air mattresses, cervical collars, and semi-electric hospital beds. The defendants allegedly paid cash kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries for the use of their Medicare information, and used physicians’ UPINs without their authorization. In this way, they fraudulently billed Medicare for equipment that was not needed or never provided.
From approximately April 2001 to January 2005, KBME submitted a total of $3,400,000 to Medicare for reimbursement, and was paid $1,200,000. From December 2004 through January 2005, KBMS submitted a total of $392,000 to Medicare for reimbursement and was paid $111,000.
Mr. Acosta commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Laurence Bardfeld and Randy Katz.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls . Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on .
