South Florida residents among 455 charged in $6.5 billion healthcare fraud crackdown

Twelve defendants, including several South Florida residents, have been charged as part of a nationwide healthcare fraud takedown that federal authorities say uncovered more than $6.5 billion in fraudulent claims and schemes that jeopardized patient care and public safety.

The charges, announced Thursday by the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, are part of the Department of Justice's 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 455 defendants nationwide, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals.

Federal prosecutors said the alleged schemes involved fraudulent billing for durable medical equipment, skin substitutes and wound care products, laboratory testing, and mental health services that were medically unnecessary, obtained through kickbacks, or never provided.

"Health care fraud isn't just fraud, it's stealing from every American taxpayer," U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones said in a statement. "If you choose to exploit our health care system for personal gain, expect to lose your money, your assets, and your freedom."

Among those charged was 57-year-old Hialeah resident Casilda Muniz Rodriguez, who is accused of helping establish clinics in South Florida that fraudulently billed Medicare more than $117 million for skin substitutes and wound care products that were never provided. Prosecutors said she helped set up at least 11 clinics that collectively received more than $55 million in Medicare payments.

Federal authorities also announced the seizure of more than $27 million linked to 12 South Florida clinics accused of participating in "bust-out" schemes that billed Medicare for services and products never delivered to patients.

Another case involved Miami resident Ibrahim Hilmi, 58, who was charged with healthcare fraud, wire fraud and money laundering offenses related to an alleged $3.76 billion scheme involving two durable medical equipment companies that submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other insurers.

In separate cases, Coral Springs resident Laura Seiler-Anstett, 55, was charged in connection with an alleged $58.3 million scheme involving medically unnecessary orthotic braces, while Palm Beach Gardens resident Rajiv Shah, 65, was accused of participating in a scheme that submitted more than $64 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for durable medical equipment.

Boynton Beach resident Anthony Tursi, 39, was charged in connection with an alleged $62 million genetic testing scheme in which prosecutors say his call center used deceptive telemarketing campaigns to persuade Medicare beneficiaries to undergo medically unnecessary testing.

Federal prosecutors also charged three South Florida residents — Yilian Cruz, 36, Inti Cruz, 55, and Adaimis Perez Arencibia, 39 — in connection with a scheme that allegedly fraudulently obtained more than $1 million in Medicaid reimbursements through a Miami mental health clinic.

Authorities said the nationwide operation involved cases in 56 federal districts and 45 states and territories, along with extensive international cooperation that led to arrests and extraditions from several countries. The enforcement effort also resulted in the seizure of more than $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry and other assets.

Federal agencies additionally suspended more than 1,000 healthcare providers and revoked billing privileges for more than 1,400 others as part of the sweeping crackdown.