Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
Medicare Fraud Funds Extravagant South Florida Lifestyle
Marquez bought $55M worth cars, horses, and diamonds. "This is an absolutely massive Medicare fraud scheme, even by Miami standards," Assistant U.S. Attorney Ryan Stumphauzer said about the case when pushing for a no bond. To this Marquez's lawyer, Michael Walsh replied, "You don't think he's going to use one of these horses to flee?" according to the release. Marquez -- along with Huarte and several other unnamed conspirators -- were siphoning off money from the public exchequer as far back as 2007. The modus operandi was simple. Marquez and his associates operated seven medical clinics in Orange and Miami-Dade counties which were used as fronts for fraudulent activity, the release indicated. By the time the feds caught up with them, they had submitted at least $55 million in false claims (based on which Medicare paid them approximately $21.6 million) to Medicare for infusion therapy, injection therapy, and other expensive medical treatments designed to treat Medicare beneficiaries with cancer, HIV, AIDS, chronic pain, and varicose veins, the release further said. According to the charges framed by feds, Marquez and his conspirators recruited nominees -- or "straw" owners -- for each company, who were paid large sums of money to sign corporate records, bank records, and other business documents before fleeing the country. But not everybody could. One such individual, Madelin Machado, 36, of Zigma Medical was caught up with and indicted in the Southern District of Florida in January 2008, but is a fugitive today and is believed to be in Cuba, according to the FBI. Machado is charged with fraudulently billing Medicare for more than $9M and collecting $4.5M. Investigations have also shown that Marquez certainly did not stash his loot. $2.7M of the money went toward the purchase of numerous luxury and exotic cars; he further spent more than $500,000 on jewelry, and more than $1million on horses, the release indicates. (Editor's note: For the United States DOJ's press release on this case, visit: www.justice.gov/usao/fls/PressReleases/100104-01.html.)
Medicare Compliance & Reimbursement
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Medicare Fraud Funds Extravagant South Florida Lifestyle
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