16 February – LAWFUEL – The Law News Network – R. Alexander Acosta, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Florida, and Jonathan I. Solomon, Special Agent in Charge, Federal Bureau of Investigation, announced today the guilty plea of defendant, Gregory Delatour in connection with a Medicare fraud involving a Miami AIDS clinic. In proceedings before U.S. District Judge Patricia A. Seitz, defendant Gregory Delatour pleaded guilty on February 14, 2006, to an Information charging him with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in relation to the clinic, which operated in Miami during 2005.
According to the Information, Delatour and his co-conspirators offered and paid money to Medicare patients to recruit them to the clinic, located at 1330 Coral Way. The clinic purported to specialize in the treatment of patients infected with AIDS or HIV. When the patients arrived at the clinic, they were either not provided medical services or were provided services that were were medically unnecessary. Delatour and his co-conspirators caused the submission of bills to Medicare for the non-rendered or unnecessary services, according to the Information. Medicare paid approximately $714,000 as a result of the fraudulent claims.
Delatour faces a maximum sentence of ten (10) years’ imprisonment and court-ordered restitution to Medicare when he is sentenced on May 26, 2005.
United States Attorney Acosta noted that this prosecution is an example of the new investigative and prosecutorial approach he announced on December 1, 2005, as part of a larger health care fraud initiative. The initiative, supported by federal and state investigators, is aimed at quickly identifying, arresting and charging individuals engaged in health care fraud schemes that affect government funded health insurance programs, including Medicare and Medicaid, in South Florida. Acosta further noted that in the first four months of the current fiscal year, which began on October 1, 2005, the U.S. Attorney’s Office has brought 23 new criminal health care fraud cases, charging 36 defendants, and possible losses of approximately $10 million in benefits paid by government health insurance programs, primarily Medicare.
A copy of this press release may be found on the website of the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida at www.usdoj.gov/usao/fls. Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or on http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov.
