MIAMI, FL – A Miami-area couple has pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud, defrauding the government out of $1,089,234. According to the plea documents, Obel Martinez and his wife Damaris Gil operated OM Best Help Corp., a durable medical equipment company, with the sole purpose of defrauding Medicare.
Between 2008 and 2010, the couple submitted false claims to Medicare, using the billing identifiers of licensed medical doctors without their authorization. They falsely represented to Medicare that the doctors had prescribed medical equipment, when in fact they had not. The couple also knew that the Medicare beneficiaries they claimed to have provided services to never received the items.
Martinez and Gil each pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. They are scheduled to be sentenced on August 23, 2011, and each faces up to 10 years in prison.
The couple’s scheme was uncovered by the FBI and the HHS Office of Inspector General as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force. Since its inception in March 2007, the strike force has charged over 1,000 defendants who have collectively billed Medicare for over $2.3 billion.
The Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Action Team (HEAT) is working to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers in the Medicare system. For more information, visit www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
Defendant: Obel Martinez
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud
City and State: Miami, FL
Date: 2011
Sentence: Up to 10 years in prison
Dollar Amount: $1,089,234
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Key Facts
- State: Florida
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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