Administrator Sentenced to 68 Months in Prison for Role in $6 Million Miami Home Health Care Fraud Scheme

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2014-09-30

An administrator of a Miami home health care company, Professional Medical Home Health LLC, was sentenced to serve 68 months in prison and ordered to pay $6,257,142 million in restitution for her participation in a $6 million health care fraud scheme.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Wifredo A. Ferrer of the Southern District of Florida, Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI’s Miami Field Office and Acting Special Agent in Charge Derrick Jackson of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Miami Regional Office made the announcement. U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno of the Southern District of Florida imposed the sentence.

According to court documents, Annilet Dominguez, 28, of Hialeah, Florida, was an administrator at Professional Home Health. Dominguez and her co-conspirators paid kickbacks to patient recruiters in return for providing patients to Professional Home Health. Dominguez and her co-conspirators falsified patient documentation to make it appear that beneficiaries qualified for and received home health care services, when, in fact, many of the beneficiaries did not actually qualify for or receive such services. Dominguez and her co-conspirators then caused the submission of false claims to Medicare for services that were not medically necessary or not provided.

From December 2008 through February 2014, Medicare paid Professional Home Health approximately $6.25 million for fraudulent claims for home health care services.

On June 25, 2014, Dominguez pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and three counts of making false statements related to health care matters. On Aug. 26, 2014, co-defendant Annarella Garcia was sentenced to serve 70 months in prison and ordered to pay $6,257,142 million in restitution.

Source: U.S. Department of Justice

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