Florida Man Sentenced to 55 Months’ Imprisonment for Role in Health Care Fraud and Money Remitting Ring

Wifredo A. Ferrer, United States Attorney of the Southern District of Florida; Addy Villanueva, Special Agent in Charge, Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE); 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 Oscar Sanchez, 47, of Naples, was sentenced to 55 months’ imprisonment, 20 months’ home confinement, and three years of supervised release for his role in a money laundering conspiracy, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 1956(h). In addition, U.S. District Judge Paul Huck entered a forfeiture order that consisted of a personal money judgment against Sanchez in the amount of $10,000,000. In partial satisfaction of that judgment, Sanchez will be forfeiting to the United States four properties worth about $635,000 and $63,196 in cash. Sanchez also must perform 1,600 hours of community service during his first year after his term of imprisonment.

On August 30, 2012, Sanchez pled guilty to conspiring to launder the proceeds of health care fraud. According to court documents, Sanchez acted as a middleman between individuals engaging in health care fraud and Caribbean Transfers, a company that remitted money from the United States to Cuba. Sanchez admitted to providing approximately $10 million in cash to individuals who defrauded the Medicare program.

Mr. Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of FDLE, FBI, and HHS-OIG in coordination with the Medicare Fraud Strike Force for their work on this case. The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys H. Ron Davidson and Eloisa Fernandez.

Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,480 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $4.8 billion. In addition, HHS’s Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.

To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT), go to www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.