FLORIDA — A Florida nursing assistant will spend nine years in prison for running a $11.4 million health care fraud scheme.
Christian “Chris” Cruz, 45, of Pompano Beach, owned and operated a durable medical equipment company that submitted millions in false claims to Medicare, court documents and evidence submitted at trial showed, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ).
Officials say Cruz and a co-conspirator paid illegal kickbacks to obtain signed doctors’ orders, which were then used to ship orthotic braces nationwide to beneficiaries who didn’t request or need them.
Cruz also concealed the co-conspirator’s ownership — a convicted felon — from Medicare, which would not have approved the company had it known.
The co-conspirator remains at large.
Court documents show Cruz personally received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the scheme, often withdrawing cash in amounts just under $10,000 to avoid reporting requirements.
In addition to his prison sentence, Cruz was ordered to pay over $3.7 million in restitution and more than $724,000 in forfeiture.
Officials say the case highlights the Justice Department’s commitment to prosecuting fraud that exploits federal health care programs.
“Medical professionals have a trusted role in American society, and when they betray that trust and engage in fraud, the Justice Department will hold them fully accountable,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
“This was a deliberate health care fraud scheme built on lies, bribes, and abuse of the Medicare system,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “The defendant helped obtain signed doctors’ orders through illegal kickbacks, shipped braces people did not need, and then billed the government for more than $11.4 million in fraudulent claims. He also concealed the true ownership of the company and structured cash withdrawals to hide the proceeds. Yesterday’s sentence of nine years, along with restitution and financial penalties, sends a simple message: fraud does not pay. If you steal from Medicare, you will go to prison and you will be made to pay that money back.”
“By misusing Medicare beneficiaries’ information to enrich himself, this defendant betrayed the trust placed in health care providers,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS‑OIG). “This sentence demonstrates how the strength of HHS-OIG partnerships with fellow law enforcement agencies allows us to successfully detect and disrupt such complex health care fraud schemes and reinforces that those who attempt to exploit federal health care programs will face serious consequences.”
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