2 South Florida men sentenced in $34.8M health care fraud conspiracy, DOJ says
Two South Florida men were sentenced to prison for orchestrating a $34.8 million health care fraud scheme involving unnecessary orthotic braces. The defendants used multiple shell companies to bill Medicare and paid illegal kickbacks for fraudulent doctor's orders.
Why it matters
This case highlights ongoing federal efforts to combat large-scale Medicare fraud and protect taxpayer-funded health programs from exploitation.
The NBC6 South Florida News streaming channel plays local South Florida news 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
Two South Florida men were sentenced to several years in prison for their involvement in a $34.8 million health care fraud conspiracy, authorities said.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Kenneth Charles Kessler III, a Miami man, and Michael Andrew Gomez, a Miramar man, pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
Authorities said the scheme involved billing Medicare for thousands of orthotic braces that were sent to Medicare beneficiaries who didn't need them/
Court documents revealed that Kessler and Gomez owned and operated seven durable medical equipment supply companies that were based in Florida, and through those companies, they submitted millions of dollars in false claims to Medicare for those braces.
Get smarter about the news
Sign up free for a feed built around what you actually care about, Dive Deeper research on any story, and the full text of every article.
Create free accountAlready have an account? Sign in