CLAY COUNTY, Fla. — Three Clay County individuals are among soon-to-be 20 arrested in a $5 million Florida Medicaid fraud scheme, according to a Facebook post from the Clay County Sheriff's Office.
On Wednesday, Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody announced the arrests, as the scheme was "led by Jose Enrique Hernandez Fernandez," in which he is accused of operating a nonemergency medical transportation service that billed Medicaid for thousands of trips never provided, according to a news release.
"These fraudsters operated a non-emergency medical transportation service that was supposed to help patients receive care," Moody said in the release. "Instead, they billed Medicaid for thousands of trips never provided and inflated the mileage for the trips actually completed - in all, causing a loss to this taxpayer-funded program of more than $5 million."
The release states that the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, the Clay County Sheriff's Office and the Columbus Police Department of Columbus, Georgia, arrested the 18 people with two currently who are still at large.
Moody's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit's investigation revealed that Jose Enrique Hernandez Fernandez owned Sweet Transportation, LLC, which contracted to provide non-emergency medical transportation services to Medicaid recipients, the release states. Over the course of at least two years, Hernandez Fernandez and Sweet Transportation, LLC employees billed Medicaid for thousands of trips never provided and inflated mileage on trips that were completed, the release also states. Moody says in the release that GPS data uncovered in the investigation revealed that drivers frequently submitted claims for trips while staying at home, going on vacation or traveling out of state.
Here are the names of the 20 people:
- Jose Enrique Hernandez Fernandez
- Carlos Omar Tellez Janez
- Timothy Lambert
- Luis Alberto Sierra Bernal
- Luz Angela Daza Estupian
- Marcia Vargas
- Omar Andres Sanchez Buitrago
- Yilber Ricardo Martinez Quinteo (Clay County 39-year-old)
- Aldo Nordelo Janez
- Ana Isabel Maur
- Dairon Domingues Santana
- Fabio Francisco Castaneda Amaya
- Iliana Garcia Avila
- Astrid Viviana Lineros Orjulea (Clay County 34-year-old)
- Joseph Chacon (has not been arrested)
- Juan Carlos Dulzaides Ortega
- Juan Gabriel Perez Castro Gutierrez (has not been arrested)
- Martha Gloria Guevara Paz (Clay County 68-year-old)
- Renier Arcencibia Perera
- Yoahna Betancourt Fernandez
- Yunier Felix Hernandez Lopez
The 20 people are individually accused of organized schemes to defraud over $50,000 and nine out of the 20 individuals, have been additionally charged with racketeering, but the release does not specify who those nine are.
Hernandez Fernandez and Tellez Janez are each charged with conspiracy to commit racketeering, racketeering, organized scheme to defraud over $50,000, Medicaid provider fraud over $50,000 and money laundering, the release states.
The case will be prosecuted by Moody's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit through an agreement with Melissa Nelson, State Attorney for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, according to the release.
