A former Hialeah City Council member who pleaded guilty to making false statements to authorities avoided jail time at her sentencing on Thursday.
Angelica Pacheco was sentenced to three years of probation and ordered to pay restitution of $54,946 during a hearing in federal court.
She was initially charged with eight counts related to health care fraud and had been facing a maximum of five years in prison, three years of supervised release and a fine of up to $250,000.
Pacheco, who was elected in November 2023, was accused of falsely billing private insurers millions of dollars for services at Florida Life Recovery and Rehabilitation, her addiction treatment center that is no longer in operation.
According to the grand jury indictment, the business submitted more than $19 million in bogus claims to several insurance companies over a three-year period.
She turned herself in to the FBI in 2024 and was later suspended by Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis. Earlier this year, she pleaded guilty to the false statements charge.
Pacheco was allowed to speak in court on Thursday and got emotional as she discussed the consequences she's already faced.
The judge acknowledged the hardships she's faced including being a child bride who was just 14 when she was taken to Alabama to marry a significantly older man who was abusive, as well as having multiple children before she turned 19.
She's also struggled with mental health issues but the judge ultimately said her past does not justify her...
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