South Florida men sentenced in $34.8 million Medicare fraud scheme
Key Points(5)
- Two South Florida men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a $34.8 million health care fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary orthopedic braces billed to Medicare.
- Kenneth Charles Kessler III, 43, of Miami, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, while Michael Andrew Gomez, 43, of Miramar, received a 24-month sentence, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Friday.
- According to court documents, Kessler and Gomez owned and operated seven durable medical equipment supply companies in Florida that submitted millions of dollars in false claims to Medicare for orthopedic braces.
- Federal prosecutors said the men paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to obtain fraudulent doctors' orders, which were then used to ship braces to Medicare beneficiaries across the United States.
- Some beneficiaries neither requested nor medically needed the braces, according to prosecutors.
Two South Florida men have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a $34.8 million health care fraud scheme involving medically unnecessary orthopedic braces billed to Medicare.
Kenneth Charles Kessler III, 43, of Miami, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, while Michael Andrew Gomez, 43, of Miramar, received a 24-month sentence, the US Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced Friday.
According to court documents, Kessler and Gomez owned and operated seven durable medical equipment supply companies in Florida that submitted millions of dollars in false claims to Medicare for orthopedic braces.
Federal prosecutors said the men paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to obtain fraudulent doctors' orders, which were then used to ship braces to Medicare beneficiaries across the United States.
Some beneficiaries neither requested nor medically needed the braces, according to prosecutors.
Authorities said Kessler and Gomez also shifted fraudulent billing among their seven companies to evade Medicare payment suspensions.
The scheme generated more than $1.4 million in profits for Kessler and more than $2.3 million for Gomez.
“These defendants built a $34.8 million scheme around medically unnecessary braces, fraudulent doctors’ orders, and illegal kickbacks, all to enrich themselves at the expense of American taxpayers,” US Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said.
“Today’s sentences reinforce a simple message: if you steal from our health care programs, we will find you, prosecute you, and hold you accountable.”
Kessler and Gomez each pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
