Jose Pascual, Health Care Fraud, Florida 2007

Tampa, FL – A Florida man was sentenced to serve 27 months in prison today in federal court in Tampa, Florida, for his role in a health care fraud scheme that defrauded Medicare of over $1 million.

Jose Pascual, 36, previously pleaded guilty to an information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. In addition to his prison term, he was sentenced to serve three years of supervised release and ordered to pay $1,292,375 in restitution, jointly and severally with his co-conspirators.

According to documents filed in the case, in February 2007, Pascual purchased R&R Outpatient LLC, an outpatient physical therapy provider with locations in Fort Myers and Ocala, Florida. Pascual and his co-conspirators then caused reimbursement claims to be submitted on behalf of R&R Outpatient to Medicare fraudulently representing that physical and occupational therapy services had been legitimately prescribed by physicians and provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Pascual and his co-conspirators fabricated medical records to support the fraudulent claims. As a result of the fraudulent claims, Medicare paid approximately $1,124,826 to R&R Outpatient. Pascual and his co-conspirators also recycled Medicare beneficiary information from R&R Outpatient in order to submit fraudulent reimbursement claims to Medicare through other clinics.

The case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI, and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Florida.

The Medicare Fraud Strike Force has charged nearly 1,900 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $6 billion since its inception in March 2007, now operating in nine cities across the country.

Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney for the Middle District of Florida A. Lee Bentley III, Acting Special Agent in Charge Ryan Lynch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Florida region, and Special Agent in Charge Paul Wysopal of the FBI’s Tampa Field Office made the announcement.

Those who wish to learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Team (HEAT) can visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.

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