Health care fraud case swells to $67M, prosecutors allege; another 10 men face charges
Four months after a former soldier for the Trafficante crime family was indicted in connection with a $3.8 million health care fraud scheme, another 10 South Florida residents have been charged and the size of the alleged scam has swelled to $67 million.
Like 70-year-old Delray Beach-area resident John Mamone, the 10 others who began appearing in federal court on Monday are accused of paying kickbacks and bribes to telemedicine companies to get them to order unnecessary tests and medical equipment for Medicare recipients.
Using a series of laboratories and medical device companies, those involved in the scheme billed the federal insurance program for bogus genetic tests, federal prosecutors said in court papers.
Medicare also paid millions for a variety of knee, back and wrist braces, walkers and other medical equipment that patients didn’t need, they said.
For Subscribers: 'Spine crime': Patients say Lake Worth-area back doctor did 'fake surgeries,' left them in pain
Sober homes: "I'm greedy": Ex-sober home operator remorseless in testifying against doctor
Patient brokering: 'Chillin' like a Villain': Medical lab owner caught off Bahamas pleads guilty to patient brokering
Scams in genetic testing and durable medical equipment, or DME, have become a popular focus for federal prosecutors intent on cracking down on health care fraud.
Palm Beach County residents who were charged in connection with the scheme are Thomas Dougherty, 39, of Royal Palm Beach; Louis Carver, 30, of Delray Beach; Timothy Richardson, 29, of Lantana; and Jose Goyos, 35, of West Palm Beach.
The others, who live in Broward County, include Daniel M. Carver, 35, of Coral Springs; John Paul Gosney Jr., 39, of Parkland; Ethan Macier, 22, of Coral Springs; and Ashley Cigarroa, 29, of North Lauderdale.
Two Hollywood men – 39-year-old Galina Rozenberg and 58-year-old Michael Rozenberg – were arrested on Feb. 6, attempting to board a flight to Moscow, prosecutors said.
Each faces a variety of charges, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. The crimes are punishable by a maximum 20-year prison sentence.
Mamone, who was indicted in October with his sons, John Anthony and Joseph Mamone, was part of the criminal enterprise, prosecutors said.
All three Mamones pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Released on bond, they are to be sentenced on July 8. As part of their plea agreements, they agreed to help prosecutors and law enforcement identify others involved in the scheme.
The senior Mamone spent years in a federal witness protection program after snitching on federal mobsters to try to reduce his sentences on racketeering and other charges.
In the early 2000s, he was indicted twice. His first arrest was spurred by his involvement in a loan-sharking operation run out of check-cashing stores throughout South Florida.
While in prison, he was indicted a second time in connection with an $80 million marijuana smuggling operation that distributed more than 1,000 kilos of pot throughout the United States, prosecutors said.
Sentenced to a combined 16 1/2 years behind bars, Mamone was released in 2012 after he provided key testimony against Mafia enforcer Paul "Doc" Gaccione in the 1992 murder of Angelo Sangiuolo, a fellow member of the Genovese crime family. It is unclear when he returned to South Florida.
But a federal judge recently said Mamone will remain here for the foreseeable future. U.S. District Judge Aileen Cannon rejected his request to travel to Las Vegas for business and to attend a wedding.
In denying the request, Cannon said Mamone provided “no information whatsoever describing the nature of such ‘business purposes.’ ”
jmusgrave@pbpost.com
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Post: Another 10 men face health care fraud charges as case swells to $67M
