The owner of more than 30 Miami-area skilled nursing and assisted living facilities, a hospital administrator and a physician’s assistant were charged with conspiracy, obstruction, money laundering and healthcare fraud in connection with a $1 billion scheme involving numerous Miami-based providers, the United States Department of Justice announced.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division said in a statement that the charges represent the largest single criminal healthcare fraud case ever brought against individuals by the DOJ.
Philip Esformes, 47, Odette Barcha, 49, and Arnaldo Carmouze, 56, all of Miami-Dade County, Florida, were charged in an indictment claiming that Esformes operated a network of more than 30 skilled nursing homes and assisted living facilities known as The Esformes Network, which gave him access to thousands of Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
HENRY KOTULA 