A shocking case of healthcare fraud has come to light in New York, with two defendants charged with allegedly bilking Medicare and Medicaid out of millions of dollars. Carlo Elomina Garcia, a licensed occupational therapist and owner of Carlo E. Garcia Occupational Therapy in Queens, was arrested and arraigned on June 26, 2023 and released on a $25,000 bond pending trial.
Garcia is accused of billing Medicare and Medicaid for over $3.9 million in occupational therapy services that were not provided, according to the criminal complaint. The scheme allegedly occurred from May 2017 through June 2021.
Jian Ai Chen, a medical assistant and owner of two pharmacies in Brooklyn, was arrested and arraigned on June 14, 2023 before Chief United States Magistrate Judge Lois Bloom and released on a $500,000 bond pending trial.
Chen is accused of submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for prescription medicine that were not provided, according to the criminal complaint.
Merrick B. Garland, United States Attorney General; Breon Peace, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Kenneth A. Polite, Jr., Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; Michael J. Driscoll, Assistant Director-in-Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, New York Field Office (FBI), and Christian J. Schrank, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), announced the arrests and charges.
“These enforcement actions, including against one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever prosecuted by the Justice Department, represent our intensified efforts to combat fraud and prosecute the individuals who profit from it,” stated Attorney General Garland.
Defendant/respondent: Carlo Elomina Garcia
Exact criminal charges: Medicare and Medicaid Fraud
City and state: New York
Exact date: June 26, 2023
Sentence or outcome: Released on a $25,000 bond pending trial
Dollar amounts: $3.9 million
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Ferguson, Securities Fraud, New York 2020 · Texas
- Todd Faustin, Workers’ Compensation Fraud, New York NY, 2023 · New York
- Kenneth Thom, Investment Adviser Fraud, New York NY, 2026 · New York
- Ted Albin, Medicare Scam Mastermind, New York NY, 2023 · Connecticut
- Mark Thompson, Wire Fraud and Conspiracy, New York NY, 2023 · New York
Key Facts
- State: New York
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
ðŸâ€Â’ Get the grimiest stories delivered weekly. Subscribe free →
MORE FEDERAL CRIME NEWS
US NewsUS NewsUS NewsUS News