Florida Man Pleads Guilty To $36.2 Million Telehealth Medicare Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On March 20th, 2024, the U.S. Attorney’s Office, in the Middle District of Florida, announced that a Florida man pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud in a $36.2 million telemedicine fraud scheme. As part of […]
Florida Pharmacy Owner Pleads Guilty For Role in $8.3 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On September 27, 2022, a Florida pharmacy owner pled guilty to conspiring to commit healthcare fraud in an $8.3 million scheme. The scheme involved securing orders for medically unnecessary prescriptions billed to Medicare and paying bribes and kickbacks, […]
Mississippi Businessman Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison For $288 Million Tricare Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On January 15, 2021, a Mississippi man was sentenced to 18 years in prison by a federal judge for his role in a $287.6 million scheme to defraud the Tricare health benefits program. According to the U.S. Department […]
Judge Refuses to Dismiss $21 Million Suit against Florida Pharmacy Alleging Illegal Kickback Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On February 13, 2019, a federal judge turned down a Florida pharmacy’s motion to dismiss a $21 million False Claims Act (FCA) suit, but allowed its sister company out of the suit. The judge said Z Stat Medical […]
Florida Pharmacy Hit With FCA Suit for Illegal Kickback Scheme Targeting Tricare
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On October 19, 2018, the federal government filed suit against a Florida pharmacy for allegations of illegal kickback schemes involving industry marketers. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida alleges that Oldsmar Pharmacy was involved […]
Florida Pharmacist Gets More Than Six Years in Prison For Role in Compounding Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On November 29, 2018, a Florida pharmacist was sentenced to six and a half years in prison and ordered to pay $3.4 million, for her role in a scheme to defraud the government. Marjorie Robinson pled guilty one […]
Florida Pharmacy Owner to Serve 15 Years in Prison for $100 Million Billing Fraud Scheme
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On April 26, 2018, the owner of several Florida pharmacies was sentenced to 15 years in prison and ordered to give up $54.5 million in restitution. Nicholas A. Borgesano Jr., owner of A to Z Pharmacies, pled guilty to his role in a […]
A Prescription for Love Fraud
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In May of 2015, Tricare began screening all compound medication prescriptions to ensure approval of each ingredient with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This decision came after a finding of a significant increase in compound drug prescriptions […]
X-Ray Company Owner Receives 10 Years in Prison For $8M Medicare and Medicaid Fraud Which Lead to the Death of Two Patients
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On June 15, 2016, A medical diagnostics company owner found guilty of Medicare and Medicaid fraud for billing $8 million for X-rays whose botched analysis by amateurs led to the death of two patients was sentenced in Maryland […]
Home Health Care Company Admits to FCA Violations, Agrees to Pay Millions
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On July 7, 2016, a Kentucky-based home health care chain, MD2U Holding Co. (MD2U), agreed to pay up to $21.5 million and admit False Claims Act (FCA) violations. According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the deal […]
Appeals Court Rules Against Nursing Home: Bankruptcy Cannot Affect Prevent Cancellation of Medicare or Medicaid Contacts
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On July 11, 2016, a federal appeals court stated that a bankruptcy judge did not have the authority to block government health officials from cutting off Medicare and Medicaid payments to a Florida nursing home that was alleged […]
Florida Compounding Pharmacy Pays $3.7 Million in Tricare False Claims Settlement
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In May of 2015, Tricare began screening all compound medication prescriptions to ensure approval of each ingredient with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). This decision came after a finding of a significant increase in compound drug prescriptions […]
Florida-Based Compounding Pharmacy Violated False Claims Act by Overcharging Tricare, Feds Claim
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On July 3, 2017, a compounding pharmacy based in Tampa, Florida, charged Tricare at least 2,000 percent more for drugs than it charged cash payers, according to the government. Teh government claimed that the Florida pharmacy acted in […]
Federal Judge Refuses to Dismiss Florida Compounding Pharmacy’s FCA Suit
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law On December 4, 2017, a Florida federal judge refused to dismiss the federal government’s False Claims Act (FCA) suit against a compounding pharmacy. RS Compounding LLC and its owner, Renier Gobea, are accused of overbilling Tricare for prescriptions. […]
Florida Federal Court Upholds False Claims Act Retaliation Claim Against Northside Hospital and HCA, Inc. Health System
By George F. Indest III, J.D., M.P.A., LL.M., Board Certified by The Florida Bar in Health Law In a recent decision, the United States District Court for the Middle District of Florida refused to dismiss a second amended complaint for a False Claims Act (FCA) Retaliation Action. The Florida federal court found that the second […]