Alleged Health Care Fraud Money Launderer Arrested

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, Miami Field Office, and Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, announced the arrest today of defendant Ihosvanny Anaya Martinez, 42, of Miami-Dade County, and the unsealing of an Indictment charging Martinez with money laundering offenses relating to health care fraud.

On June 25, 2009, a federal grand jury in Miami returned an eleven-count Indictment charging Martinez with conspiracy to commit money laundering, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h), and numerous substantive money laundering offenses, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 1956(a)(1)(B)(i) and 1957. According to the Indictment, Martinez was the president of Marbe Distribution Corporation and Padrino Services, Inc. He is alleged to have opened three bank accounts in the names of his companies and a fourth bank account in his own name.

The Indictment alleges that from February 2006 through December 2008, approximately $1.2 million was deposited into Martinez's four bank accounts from BJB Pharmacy Discount, Inc. BJB Pharmacy Discount, Inc. was purportedly in the business of providing durable medical equipment (DME) to Medicare beneficiaries. Barbara Ramentol, the owner and president of BJB Pharmacy, previously pled guilty in May 2009 in a separate health care fraud case and admitted receiving more than $3 million from Medicare based on false claims. The Indictment lists numerous large cash withdrawals and other transactions from Martinez's accounts, resulting in the money laundering charges.

If convicted, Martinez faces a maximum sentence of twenty years' imprisonment on the money laundering conspiracy charge and on each of the substantive money laundering violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(a)(1)(B)(i), and ten years' imprisonment on each of the substantive money laundering violations of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1957.

Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher J. Hunter.