Leonel Palatnik, 42, of Aventura, Florida, pleaded guilty yesterday in the Southern District of Florida for his role in a $73 million conspiracy to defraud Medicare by paying kickbacks to a telemedicine company.
The scheme exploited temporary amendments to telehealth restrictions enacted during the COVID-19 pandemic that were intended to ensure access to care for Medicare beneficiaries.
Palatnik, as a co-owner of Panda Conservation Group LLC, admitted that he conspired with other co-owners and with Michael Stein, the owner of 1523 Holdings LLC, to pay kickbacks to Stein in exchange for his work arranging for telemedicine providers to authorize genetic testing orders for Panda’s laboratories.
The scam involved entering into a sham contract for purported IT and consultation services to disguise the true purpose of these payments. 1523 Holdings then exploited temporary amendments to telehealth restrictions enacted during the pandemic by offering telehealth providers access to Medicare beneficiaries for whom they could bill consultations.
In exchange, these providers agreed to refer beneficiaries to Panda’s laboratories for expensive and medically unnecessary cancer and cardiovascular genetic testing.
Palatnik pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to offer kickbacks and one count of paying a kickback. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 9 and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Related Federal Cases
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Miami FL, 2023 · Alabama
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Miami FL, 2024 · Alabama
- Ted Albin, Medicare Scam Mastermind, New York NY, 2023 · Florida
- Two Foreign Nationals, ID Theft Scheme, Los Angeles CA, 2023 · Illinois
- Orlando Pascual Jr., HIV Treatment Medicare Fraud, Miami FL, 2023 · Alabama
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- 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