Owner of Miami HIV Infusion Clinic and Wife Plead Guilty to $13.7M Medicare Fraud Scheme

Written by Jaimie Oh | July 27, 2010

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The owner of a Miami-based clinic and his wife pleaded guilty for their involvement in a $13.7 million HIV infusion Medicare fraud scheme, according to a news release by the Department of Justice.

Modesto de la Vega owned and operated T&R Rehabilitation Professional Corp., a clinic that purported to provide expensive injection and infusion treatments to patients with HIV. Mr. Vega's wife, Victoria de la Vega, worked as the office assistant at the clinic.

Mr. Vega pleaded guilty to enlisting patient recruiters and patients, among others, into a scheme to defraud Medicare. Additionally, Mr. Vega and Mrs. Vega both admitted that they knew the patients at T&R either did not need or did not receive clinical services and paid kickbacks and bribes to patients so that T&R could bill Medicare for HIV infusion services that were not medically necessary or never provided.

The couple also admitted to filing false claims from Jan. 2003 to July 2005 in the amount of approximately $13.7 million, of which Medicare paid approximately $4.1 million.

Sentencing for Mr. Vega and Mrs. Vega is scheduled for Nov. 5.

Read the Department of Justice's news release on the Miami Medicare fraud.

Read more coverage on healthcare fraud in Florida:

- Miami Clinic Owner convicted of Medicare Fraud

- Miami Clinic Owner Arrested for Medicare Fraud

- Florida Physician Charged as Part of Healthcare Fraud Sting

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