David Marrero, founder of and consultant at Tendercare, and his ex-wife Maria Marrero, owner and operator of the clinic, were sentenced for their participation in a scheme to defraud Medicare between Jan. 2005 and Dec. 2008.
They submitted claims for injection and infusion treatments that were medically unnecessary and, in most instances, not provided. Additionally, Ms. Marrero admitted to paying kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries for providing their Medicare numbers and signatures to Tendercare for billing purposes, and Mr. Marrero was convicted of money laundering.
Tendercare submitted approximately $5.8 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, of which Medicare paid Tendercare $2.7 million.
Mr. Marrero and Ms. Marrero were sentenced to 10 years and 70 months in prison, respectively. Both were also ordered to pay restitution jointly and separately with co-defendants in the amount of $2.7 million.
Read the Department of Justice’s news release on the Tendercare fraud.
Read other coverage on healthcare fraud in Miami:
– Owner of Miami Infusion Clinic Charged in $23M Healthcare Fraud Scheme
– Operator of Miami Home Health Company Arrested for Healthcare Fraud
– Miami Clinic Operators Convicted in $51M Medicare Fraud for HIV Infusion
