Hialeah Councilwoman Angelica Pacheco turned herself into the FBI last Thursday following an indictment on healthcare fraud charges. Pacheco is accused of billing private insurers millions of dollars for services at her addiction treatment center, Florida Life Recovery and Rehabilitation LLC.
According to a grand jury indictment, Pacheco’s business allegedly submitted $19.1 million in fraudulent bills to multiple insurance companies, including Aetna, from July 2017 to August 2020. The business, which ceased operations in 2022, was registered by her husband, Daniel Pacheco, who has not been charged.
The indictment also charges Pacheco with defrauding the U.S. government by filing false business loan applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is accused of falsely claiming her business was not engaged in illegal activities when applying for loans. Four companies owned by the Pacheco family reportedly received over $500,000 in federal Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic loans. Pacheco has stated these funds were used to pay employees and sustain the businesses.
Pacheco, 37, a certified nurse, and her husband currently run Pacheco Medical Center, a primary care clinic and substance abuse rehabilitation facility in Hialeah.
The councilwoman made her first appearance on Thursday afternoon before Magistrate Judge Lauren F. Louis in Miami federal court.
Pacheco appeared before Magistrate Judge Lauren F. Louis in Miami federal court on Thursday afternoon.
The federal charges could potentially lead to her removal from office. Governor Ron DeSantis has previously suspended local elected officials facing criminal charges. Under Hialeah’s city charter, the City Council would appoint a replacement if Pacheco is removed.
Pacheco was elected to the City Council in November 2023 after four attempts. She is a Cuban-American; her family migrated to the United States in 1964 and she was born and raised in Hialeah.
A history of legal issues
Pacheco has a history of legal issues. In 2004, at age 17, she faced charges of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, battery, and criminal mischief in a domestic incident, resulting in six months of probation.
In 2011, Pacheco was charged again, this time in Miami-Dade County, with one felony count of child abuse without harm. She said her son told a teacher that Pacheco had spanked him. When she refused to speak to the police officer, she said, the police arrested her. She pleaded not guilty and prosecutors dropped the charge.
Between 2002 and 2012, Pacheco also received numerous traffic citations in Miami-Dade and Broward counties.
Pacheco posted a YouTube video 24 hours before her arrest, blaming the Hialeah administration for her legal troubles.
“I want you to know that I blame the Hialeah administration for anything that happens to me,” she said in the video. “I have been threatened both legally and verbally. They are trying to find a way to get rid of me.”
In the video, Pacheco used a clip from a council meeting of a comment Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo Jr. made about her in a heated debate regarding the city’s position on marijuana use.
In a written statement, Mayor Esteban “Steve” Bovo Jr. distanced the charges from Pacheco’s role as an elected official.
“My administration has worked hard to raise the positive image of our city,” Bovo said. “This situation is not only disconcerting but also very sad for our community. This will not stop us from improving the quality of life of our residents and providing them with the best services.”
