South Florida - Wednesday July 4, 2023: U.S. Attorney for South Florida Markenzy Lapointe announced criminal charges against fourteen defendants in connection with over $1.9 billion in fraud prosecuted in the Southern District of Florida, as part of the Department of Justice’s 2023 National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action.

The charges stem from various schemes to defraud government and private health care benefit programs by submitting false claims for items and services that were not needed and, in many instances, never provided as well as a scheme to unlawfully distribute adulterated and misbranded prescription medications.

“The results of this nationwide coordinated law enforcement effort that we announce today exemplify our office’s ongoing commitment to prosecuting health care fraud-related schemes,” said U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe. “We will continue to hold accountable those who exploit health care programs for personal profit in South Florida.”

The charges are part of a strategically coordinated, two-week nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 78 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes that resulted in the submission of over $2.5 billion in alleged false billings. The defendants allegedly defrauded programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled, and, in some cases, used the proceeds of the schemes to purchase luxury items, including exotic automobiles and...

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