Fake Doctor Raúl Villalobos-Meléndez Admits Fraud

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – A San Juan man admitted today to a brazen scheme to practice medicine without a license, forging documents and lying to federal agencies to pocket a salary and access Medicare funds. Raúl D. Villalobos-Meléndez, 36, pleaded guilty to making false statements to an agency of the United States, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001(a)(2). The case lays bare a dangerous vulnerability in the healthcare system and the lengths to which some will go to exploit it.

According to court documents, Villalobos-Meléndez never successfully completed the required United States Medical License Examination (USMLE) despite graduating from the University of Science Arts and Technology-Monserrat College of Medicine in 2018. Instead, he secured a Physician Assistant license in April 2021. But that wasn’t enough. He then allegedly altered his PA license, presenting it as both a Provisional Medical License and a Permanent Medical License – a blatant fabrication designed to deceive.

The fraud escalated in 2023 when Villalobos-Meléndez applied for a Post-Graduate Medical Education Internship Program at Hospital del Maestro in San Juan. He submitted forged documents, including a fake Provisional License Registry Certification from the Puerto Rico Medical Discipline and Licensing Board (JLDM), and falsified USMLE score reports claiming he’d passed all three steps. These were all lies. He failed the USMLE multiple times. Despite lacking any legitimate medical license, he secured a position and was paid to work as a physician within the Transitional Internship program from June 1, 2023, to May 31, 2024.

The scheme didn’t stop there. On September 27, 2024, Villalobos-Meléndez submitted a fraudulent application to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – a federal agency within the Department of Health and Human Services – seeking enrollment as a physician practitioner and Medicare provider. He listed a false Puerto Rico medical license number (“166037”) with a fabricated effective date and designated himself a “General Practitioner.” He even reassigned his benefits to Physician HMO, with the organization’s president signing off on the arrangement, effectively validating the deception under penalty of perjury.

“The defendant lied to Puerto Rican and federal agencies by falsifying his documents and pretending to be a certified physician,” stated W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico. “This poses a danger to those who seek health care from medical professionals.” Naomi Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), added, “Using a forged medical license…is a serious breach of public trust.”

HHS-OIG and its law enforcement partners are promising continued vigilance in protecting the integrity of the healthcare system. Villalobos-Meléndez’s actions weren’t just a financial crime; they endangered patients who unknowingly placed their trust in a fraudulent “doctor.” Sentencing details have not yet been released, but Villalobos-Meléndez now faces the consequences of his deceit. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case as it progresses.