November 13, 2014

Five South Florida residents, Dennis Hernandez, Juan Valdes, Jose Alvarez, Joel San Pedro and Alina Hernandez, pleaded guilty to a long-running $6.2M Medicare fraud scheme involving Miami home health care agency Professional Medical Home Health LLC that purported to provide home health and therapy services. According to admissions in their plea agreements, the defendants through Professional Home Health billed Medicare for expensive physical therapy and home health services that were not medically necessary or were not provided. They also acted as patient recruiters for Professional Home Health soliciting and receiving kickbacks and bribes from other co-conspirators at Professional Home Health in exchange for recruiting beneficiaries who neither needed, nor in some cases received services. DOJ