Healthcare Fraud: Andres Alfonso Convicted of Three Substantive Counts of Health Care Fraud

<h2>Former Owner of Miami Based Pharmacy Convicted at Trial of &dollar;700&comma;000 Medicare Fraud Scheme<&sol;h2>&NewLine;<p>The former owner of a Miami based retail pharmacy was convicted&comma; following a three-day trial&comma; for his participation in a scheme that involved the fraudulent submission of approximately &dollar;700&comma;000 dollars in false billing to Medicare&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<div class&equals;"mh-content-ad"><script async src&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;pagead2&period;googlesyndication&period;com&sol;pagead&sol;js&sol;adsbygoogle&period;js&quest;client&equals;ca-pub-9162800720558968"&NewLine; crossorigin&equals;"anonymous"><&sol;script>&NewLine;<ins class&equals;"adsbygoogle"&NewLine; style&equals;"display&colon;block&semi; text-align&colon;center&semi;"&NewLine; data-ad-layout&equals;"in-article"&NewLine; data-ad-format&equals;"fluid"&NewLine; data-ad-client&equals;"ca-pub-9162800720558968"&NewLine; data-ad-slot&equals;"1081854981"><&sol;ins>&NewLine;<script>&NewLine; &lpar;adsbygoogle &equals; window&period;adsbygoogle &vert;&vert; &lbrack;&rsqb;&rpar;&period;push&lpar;&lbrace;&rcub;&rpar;&semi;&NewLine;<&sol;script><&sol;div>&NewLine;<p>Wifredo A&period; Ferrer&comma; United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida&comma; and Shimon R&period; Richmond&comma; Special Agent in Charge&comma; U&period;S&period; Department of Health and Human Services&comma; Office of Inspector General &lpar;HHS-OIG&rpar;&comma; made the announcement&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><strong>Andres Alfonso<&sol;strong>&comma; 54&comma; of Miami&comma; was convicted of three substantive counts of health care fraud&period;  Alfonso faces a maximum possible sentence of ten years in prison for each count of conviction&period;  Alfonso is scheduled to be sentenced on January 27&comma; 2017&comma; by United States District Judge James I&period; Cohn in Fort Lauderdale&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Evidence presented at trial showed that&comma; for less than six months in 2014&comma; Andres Alfonso owned a retail pharmacy called La Gloria Pharmacy&comma; in Miami&period;  During that time&comma; Alfonso stole approximately &dollar;700&comma;000 from Medicare Part D&comma; by stealing the identities of doctors and Medicare beneficiaries and billing for prescription drugs he never purchased nor dispensed&period;  The beneficiaries testified at trial that&comma; although La Gloria Pharmacy had submitted claims for prescription drugs in their names&comma; they had never heard of La Gloria Pharmacy&comma; never received the drugs for which the pharmacy had submitted claims&comma; and had never been treated by the doctor listed in the claim&period;  The doctors testified that&comma; although their names were listed as the prescribing physician in La Gloria Pharmacy’s claims submissions&comma; they had never treated&comma; nor prescribed medication for&comma; any of those beneficiaries&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Mr&period; Ferrer commended the investigative efforts of HHS-OIG&period;  This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U&period;S&period; Attorneys Amanda Perwin and James V&period; Hayes&comma; in coordination with the Fraud Section of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and the Medicare Strike Force&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p>Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;flsd&period;uscourts&period;gov&sol;"><u>www&period;flsd&period;uscourts&period;gov<&sol;u><&sol;a> or on <a href&equals;"http&colon;&sol;&sol;pacer&period;flsd&period;uscourts&period;gov&sol;"><u>http&colon;&sol;&sol;pacer&period;flsd&period;uscourts&period;gov<&sol;u><&sol;a>&period;<&sol;p>&NewLine;<p><a href&equals;"https&colon;&sol;&sol;www&period;justice&period;gov&sol;usao-sdfl&sol;pr&sol;former-owner-miami-based-pharmacy-convicted-trial-700000-medicare-fraud-scheme">Original PressReleases&&num;8230&semi;<&sol;a><&sol;p>&NewLine;

Financial FraudHealthcare Fraud