A Cuban woman was arrested in Miami-Dade accused of participating in a Medicare fraud schemeafter he allegedly routinely bribed patients to make fraudulent claims to the health insurance program, according to a police report.
At least five beneficiaries of the health coverage plan identified Margelys Moreira Pino50 years old, like the person who told them He paid each of them between $200 and $600 in bribes.just for attending psychosocial rehabilitation services, indicated a report from the channel Local 10 News.
The arrest warrant, signed last Tuesday by Miami-Dade County Circuit Judge Miguel M. de la O, indicates that Moreira carried out the scam when he served as operations manager of the Hathor Wellcare Centerat 14269 SW 42 St., in Miami.
Moreira was “the only person in charge of paying the bribes, which were in cash, placed inside a white envelope,” said Ariel Pérez, a police investigator for the Attorney General’s Office.
Between January 1, 2020 and July 12, 2023, the defendant allegedly paid more than $15,600 in bribes, which resulted in more than $104,000 in fraudulent claims billed to Medicaid.
Hathor Wellcare Center records show that in addition to operations manager, Moreira was also senior vice president of the corporation of Florida and the registered agent of Hathor Investment Group.
Moreira was arrested Thursday and booked into Miami-Dade County’s Turner Guilford Knight (TGK) Correctional Center. Faces a charge of Medicaid fraud/filing false claims.
On Friday, he appeared in court and the judge set his bail at $50,000.
The Cuban is from Playa Larga, in the province of Matanzas, as can be seen on her social networks.
The accusation against Moreira is part of the National Action Against Health Care Fraud Announced by the Department of Justice last Thursday, which uncovered a huge plot to present False health care claims totaling more than $2.75 billion.
Investigations led to the Arrest of 193 people, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners and other medical professionals on leave for his alleged involvement in various fraud schemes in 32 federal districts across the United States.
In the Southern District of Florida, U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe announced criminal charges against 38 accusedincluding several Cubans.
As reported last March The New Heraldthe FBI office in Miami estimates that More than 100 defendants accused of stealing hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicare in South Florida are on the runMost of them are Cuban immigrants who fled to their native country or to Mexico, the Dominican Republic and other Spanish-speaking countries to evade justice.
