Home Miami Press Releases 2009 Two Miami Doctors Convicted of Medicare, Medicaid Fraud
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Two Miami Doctors Convicted of Medicare, Medicaid Fraud

U.S. Attorney’s Office August 17, 2009
  • Southern District of Florida (305) 961-9001

Jeffrey H. Sloman, Acting United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Bill McCollum, Florida Attorney General, announced that two Miami doctors have been convicted of Medicare and Medicaid fraud. A Miami jury returned guilty verdicts against Walter Proano and Manuel Barbeite late Friday afternoon. Sentencing has been scheduled before U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Seitz for October 29, 2009, starting at 8:30 a.m.

Proano and Barbeite were convicted for their involvement in a scheme with Diagnostic Medical Choice, a Southwest Miami clinic that billed the Medicaid and Medicare programs for expensive infusion medications intended to treat a rare illness suffered by a small portion of those inflicted with HIV/AIDS. The physicians wrote prescriptions for large quantities of these medications and sought federal and state reimbursement, but the clinic had little if any of the medications in stock and rarely if ever provided infusions to patients.

Proano was found guilty of one count each of health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He faces a maximum sentence of 15 years in prison. Barbeite was convicted of two counts of health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. He faces a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison.

Mr. Sloman commended the investigative efforts of the Federal Bureau of Investigation's Health Care Fraud Squad and the Florida Attorney General's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. This case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Stephen A. LeClair.

A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at http://www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.

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