Defendant Pleads Guilty to Health Care Fraud in Connection with HIV Infusion Clinic

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida; Michael B. Steinbach, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), Miami Field Office; and Christopher B. Dennis, Special Agent in Charge, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), announced that defendant Jorge Alipio Perez Villa pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of health care fraud for his participation in a health care fraud scheme involving a purported HIV infusion clinic. Sentencing is scheduled for September 9, 2013, before U.S. District Judge Joan A. Lenard.

According to documents filed with the court and statements made during the plea hearing, Perez Villa was the purported owner and operator of an HIV infusion clinic, ABC Physician’s Group Inc. ABC Physician’s Group, however, did not treat any patients. Rather, the defendant, through his company, fraudulently represented to Medicare that it was administering HIV infusion treatments to patients suffering from HIV. In truth, however, the defendant simply used the stolen Medicare numbers from unwitting Medicare beneficiaries to bill for treatments that were never provided. In this way, between March and September 2006, ABC Physician’s Group submitted approximately $5.3 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. As a result of those claims, Medicare paid ABC Physician’s Group approximately $616,710. The defendant distributed the fraud proceeds to himself and others.

Mr. Ferrer thanked the FBI and HHS-OIG for their work on the case. This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alicia Shick.