Two Florida residents have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks and bribes, as part of a scheme involving approximately $14 million in bribes and kickbacks.
The Justice Department said in a July 30 press release that Laurent Cassagnol, 43, and Heriberto Rivera, 43, both of Orlando, Fla., conspired to refer patients of the VA Community Care Program (VACCP) to Family Integrative Medicine of Orlando, LLC (FIMO) for acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and other holistic medical services. FBI and VA-OIG are investigating the case while trial attorneys Angela Benoit and Jody King of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
Rivera, the CEO of FIMO, admitted to paying kickbacks and bribes to Cassagnol, an advanced medical support assistant for VACCP, in exchange for Cassagnol steering VA patients to FIMO for medical services. Cassagnol admitted to accepting Rivera’s payments, according to the DOJ, citing court records. They both pleaded guilty this week.
Their actions reportedly resulted in the VA and VACCP being billed for over $14 million in claims that were procured through the payment of kickbacks and bribes, of which over $11 million was paid. An investigation was kick-started when a complaint was made by an unnamed individual to the VA Office of the Inspector General (VA-OIG) fraud hotline.
This case is akin to others that have drawn the attention of the Justice Department, which on April 7 announced the creation of the Fraud Division that focuses on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against Americans. DOJ said the division has bolstered President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, as part of a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President JD Vance to eliminate fraud, waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts nationwide, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are also working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, as part of efforts to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes.
Cassagnol and Rivera are currently scheduled to be sentenced on Nov. 5. Each defendant faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison, depending on the determination of a federal district court judge who will determine the sentence after considering U.S. guidelines and other statutory factors.
The announcement was made Thursday by Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Rodney Crawford of the FBI Tampa Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Greg Wentz of the VA-OIG Southeast Field Office.
