Federal authorities early Friday charged 94 people with plotting to fleece $251 million from Medicare by filing phony claims with the taxpayer-funded healthcare program. Agents arrested 36 people.
The indictments were part of an orchestrated crackdown in five major U.S. cities that coincided with the nation's first healthcare fraud summit in Miami.
About 25 suspects, including longtime general practitioner Dr. Jorge J. Dieppa, were charged in Miami-Dade County for allegedly submitting about $103 million in fraudulent bills for home healthcare, HIV therapy and medical equipment services, according to federal indictments.
Federal agents attempted to arrest Dieppa at his home in Southwest Miami-Dade, but the doctor was not there. He is believed to be out of town on a cruise.
Dieppa, 56, whose practice is in Miami's Flagami neighborhood, is accused of receiving kickbacks for making hundreds of patient referrals to home healthcare agencies for costly diabetic services that were unnecessary.
Read the complete story at miamiherald.com