- March 28, 2024
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A federal jury convicted home health agency owner Pilar Garcia Lorenzo, 38, of Tampa, for her role in a multimillion-dollar health care fraud and money-laundering scheme.
Garcia Lorenzo, owner Gold Care Home Health Services Inc., was convicted of one count each of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering, according to a statement from the U.S. Attorneys office. Sentencing is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2017.
According to evidence presented at trial, in late summer 2014 Gold Care submitted millions of dollars in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.
The claims were for home health services that had never been provided and had not been legitimately prescribed by a physician, authorities contended at trial. As a result of those false and fraudulent claims, Medicare reimbursed Gold Care approximately $2.5 million, the release states.
Garcia Lorenzo used a “straw” or nominee owner in an effort to execute and conceal the fraudulent scheme, the evidence at trial shows. Approximately $2 million of the fraud proceeds her company received were laundered in cash transactions through fictitious shell companies in Hialeah, officials say.
The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and U.S. Attorney's Office of the Middle District of Florida.