Two Florida men were sentenced to prison for their roles in a $34.8 million Medicare fraud scheme involving unnecessary orthotic braces, according to a Sept. 4 Justice Department news release.
Kenneth Kessler III of Miami, was sentenced to 33 months in prison, and Michael Gomez, 43, of Miramar, was sentenced to 24 months. Both pleaded guilty in May to one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud.
Mr. Kessler and Mr. Gomez owned seven durable medical equipment companies in Florida that billed Medicare for medically unnecessary orthotic braces, the release said. The men paid kickbacks to obtain fraudulent orders signed by physicians, then used those orders to ship braces to Medicare beneficiaries nationwide, including many who never requested or needed them, and billed Medicare for the devices. They also shifted billing among their companies to evade Medicare payment suspensions, according to the release.
Mr. Kessler profited more than $1.4 million from the scheme, and Gomez profited more than $2.3 million, the release said.
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