FLORIDA — A federal jury convicted a Florida woman on Friday for laundering approximately $786,000 in money stolen from Medicare, Medicaid, and private health insurers as part of a sprawling health care fraud scheme in Miami.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Jesmina Ramirez, 50, of Miami Gardens, laundered hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraud proceeds by cashing checks written from five fraudulent medical supply companies and returning that cash, minus a fee, to her co-conspirators.
The Department of Justice (DOJ) said the five fraudulent medical supply companies for whom she reportedly money – BF Distributors Corp.; Timely Medical Services Corp.; Ortho-Med Solution Inc.; Expedited Medical Supplies Corp.; and Prime Orthopedic Solutions Corp. – billed Medicare, Medicaid, and private insurers more than $48 million for medical equipment the companies never actually purchased and never provided to any patients.
Ramirez laundered the stolen money by cashing more than 120 checks from the fraudulent companies over more than two years, according to the DOJ.
Ramirez was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering and one count of money laundering. She faces up to 20 years in prison on each count.
A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors. Sentencing is scheduled for July 13.
Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Juan Antonio Gonzalez for the Southern District of Florida; Special Agent in Charge Omar Pérez Aybar of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Miami Regional Office; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent in Charge George L. Piro of the FBI Miami Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Kyle A. Myles of the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Office of Inspector General (FDIC-OIG), Atlanta Regional Office; and Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody made the announcement.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, FDIC-OIG, and Florida’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Alexander Thor Pogozelski and Emily Gurskis of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
