A Miami physician has been sentenced to 108 months in prison for his role in a Medicare fraud scheme that caused approximately $30 million in losses.
Henry Lora, 51, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Federico A. Moreno of the Southern District of Florida, who also ordered Lora to pay $30,278,542 in restitution and to forfeit the same amount.
Lora pleaded guilty in February 2016 to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States, receive health care kickbacks and make false statements relating to health care matters.
According to admissions made as part of his plea agreement, Lora was the medical director of Merfi Corporation, a Miami-area clinic that employed physicians, physician assistants and other medical professionals.
Lora admitted that in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, he and his co-conspirators wrote prescriptions for home health care and other services for Medicare beneficiaries that were not medically necessary or not provided.
Lora and his co-conspirators also falsified patient records to make it appear as if the beneficiaries qualified for these services, he admitted.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged over 2,300 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for over $7 billion.
Henry Lora was sentenced on
February 2016
for his role in the Medicare fraud scheme. He must pay $30,278,542 in restitution and forfeit the same amount.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which 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 Southern District of Florida.
Related Federal Cases
- Christopher Gregory Wayne, Health Care Fraud, Conspiracy to Violate Narcotics Laws, Florida 2014 · Florida
- Francisco Enrique Chavez, Health Care Fraud, Florida 2013 · Florida
- Darrell A. Hall, Conspiracy to Distribute a Controlled Substance, Health Care Fraud, Tax Evasion, Ohio 2009 · Florida
- Orlando Pascual Jr., Medicare Fraud, Florida 2023 · Florida
- Juan A. Tony Marrero, Medicare Fraud Scheme, Florida 2023 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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