Santiago Villa-Restrepo, who is from Miami and around 30 years old, plead guilty to a Detroit based Medicare Fraud Scheme, alleged to have been responsible for over $5 Million in Medicare Fraud. He faces up to 10 years in Federal Prison for his part in the fraud scheme. He pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Allegedly, Villa-Restrepo was involved with recruiting medicare recipients to three Detroit based medical clinics, paying bribes to people for their Medicare Account Numbers.

The Detroit Health Clinics would then bill medicare for unneeded tests or even tests that were not preformed.

Gary Winner, a 49 year old man from Buffalo Grove Illinois, plead guilty last week for an unusual Medicare Scheme that involved shipping penis enlargers to Medicare recipients with Diabetes.

In total, this odd scheme, which took place for 4 years starting in 2005, was responsible for over $1 million dollars. The defendant, as part of his guilty plea, forfeited over $2 million dollars and faces more than 30 years in prison.

Winner, who admitted his part in this scheme, repackaged penis enlargers he bought from adult websites for around $30, claiming that they were used to help with prostate issues, bladder control, urinary flow, and erectile issues.

The penis enlargers original packaging was removed and were placed in plastic bags that included an instruction booklet with falsified information. According to prosecutors, Winner then billed Medicare almost $300 per unit, which netted almost $400,000.

Allegedly, Winner would then use his company, Planned Eldercare, which sold home medical equipment, to target Medicare Patients. Often, through the use of aggressive telemarketing to seniors, Winner would procure Medicare Account Numbers after he provided some free medical equipment federal prosecutors contend.

While Medicare does cover certain types of erectile dysfunction, like other types of Durable Medical Equipment, it must be prescribed by a doctor and required medically. Not only was Winner allegedly misrepresenting his products, he also was accused of purposely shipping medical equipment to patients that they did not need.

Six individuals who were accused of commuting Medicare Fraud in Pompano Beach and other areas around Southern Florida have plead guilty in order to receive reduced sentences.

The defendants, as well as 4 more individuals yet to face a trial, were charged in September for allegedly provided patients for a Miami Company named Therapeutic Corp. While operating Assisted Living Facilities and half-way houses, the ten individuals were accused of receiving kickbacks for each patient they supplied to Therapeutic Corp.

One defendant, Ramchand Ramrup, had received numerous unrelated state citations for his Palm Beach assisted living facility. While he was the manager of Boynton Beach Assisted Living Facility, Ramrup recieved $40 a day for each patient he sent to Therapeutic Corp, which amounted to almost $1 Million in fraudulent Medicare charges from Boynton Beach Assisted Living Facility alone.

Isabel Roque, who was a patient recruiter at American Therapeutic was responsible for almost $4 million in fraudulent claims, for a similar patient scam.

In total, Therapeutic Corp received around $80 million from Medicare in the past 10 years, mostly for group therapy. The owners of Therapeutic Corp, Lawrence Duran and Marianella Valera, plead guilty to Medicare Fraud Charges earlier this year and were sentenced to 50 and 35 years in prison respectively. The charges alleged over $200 million in fraudulent Medicare Claims.

According to Federal Prosecutors, the patients supplied by companies like Boynton Beach Assisted Living Facility and American Therapeutic often received treatments for mental disorders they did not have, like Bipolar disease, while their real disorders were left untreated.

Armando Chavez, a 42 year old Houston doctor, has been sentenced to 70 months in prison for Medicare Fraud. Chavez, the owner of Chavez Medical Group, pleaded guilty to conspiracy and mail fraud. He was sentenced yesterday, 11/16/2011, in Federal Court.

During 2005 and 2007, authorities contend that Chavez billed Medicare and Medicaid around $14 million, much of which was for unneeded treatments or services that were un-grouped, in order to get the most benefit. He was paid around $4 Million.

In addition to pleading guilty without trial, Chavez also voluntarily gave up his license to practice medicine in Texas, which he received over 10 years ago.

In 2005, which is when the fraud is contended to have begun, he began performing laser ablation, which is often used to repair varicose veins. According to US Prosecutors, he often over reported the number of varicose veins repaired in the leg. By un-grouping the treatment codes, he also more than doubled his payments for many types of treatments.

Chavez is currently free, but will need to surrender to authorities shortly to begin his almost 6 year prison sentence.

Maksim Shelikhov, a 27 year old medical worker, was arrested at Kennedy Airport, as he returned from Canada this week.

Shelikhov, who was part of the 12 people charged in New York last week, had remained at large since the indictments were unsealed. He is accused of money laundering and health care fraud.

His mother, Irina Shelikhova, is still wanted and has not been arrested yet.

The investigation into the clinics owned by Dr. Gustave Drivas was ongoing between 2005 and 2010. During this time, it is alleged that workers at the clinic submitted bills to Medicare for treatments that did not occur or provided kickbacks to patients who accepted unneeded treatments.

During this time, they billed Medicare for at least $71 million and received around $47 million as payments.

Hidden cameras and microphones were used to catch workers at Bay Medical Care, SZS Medical Care, and SVS Wellcare Medical as they allegedly bribed patients. These health care providers offered allergy, physical, and nerve therapies.

Drivas, who was the owner or a major partner at all offices, as well as being a primary care physician, is accused of being the ring leader. The federal government is seeking to seize the properties involved, as well as individual bank accounts and residences.