Davie man arrested for involvement in miami medicare fraud ring

Posted on October 01, 2009 3:00 AM EST

In Miami, Florida, a U.S. federal district judge sentenced a Davie man to 12 years in federal prison for his involvement in a multi-million dollar Miami Medicare fraud scheme and money laundering operation. With his Miami criminal attorney by his side, Daniel Martinez pled guilty for his involvement in a scheme which fraudulently billed Medicare approximately $5.4 million dollars for medical equipment. Miami, Florida remains a hotbed for those who perpetrate Medicare fraud. Federal authorities continue to crackdown on this offense as the monetary losses are staggering and threatening the existence of the Medicare system as we know it. The only people who benefit from the large number of prosecutions are Miami Medicare fraud defense lawyers.

Martinez owned and operated Med-Pro between 2005 and 2006 and billed Medicare for medical supplies that were never prescribed by doctors, nor supplied to patients. Medicare paid Med-Pro approximately $1.2 million dollars for good and services that were never rendered. As part of his plea agreement, Martinez also admitted that he operated 5 other medical equipment companies in the Miami area which billed Medicare approximately $17 million dollars.

Martinez attempted to conceal his involvement in the scheme to defraud by using the names of friends and relatives as the business owners of the fraudulent medical supply companies. Also sentenced in federal court for their involvement were Jimmy Soto, Leonardo Lozado, Eilaides Diaz and Jose Claro. Soto entered a guilty plea to Medicare fraud charges and was sentenced to 11 ½ years in prison. Diaz received 6 ½ years, Lozado received four years and Claro was sentenced to 2 ½ years.

Martinez used the proceeds obtained in his Medicare scheme to defraud to live a lavish lifestyle. He purchased several houses and expensive cars with the fraudulently obtained proceeds. He also purchased 10 Rolex watches with a street value of approximately $250,000. As a result of the hefty losses suffered by Medicare, Martinez must pay restitution to compensate the federal medical provider.

Davie Man Sentenced for Medicare Fraud, South Florida Biz Journals, September 29, 2009.