A Detroit-area couple who owned house well being care firms have been sentenced to jail final week for Medicare fraud and tax evasion, U.S. Lawyer Daybreak Ison mentioned.

Noli and Isabel Tcruz of Washington Township, Michigan, have been sentenced on September 4. Noli Tcruz was sentenced to 6 years in jail and his spouse was sentenced to 3 years and two months.

The Tcruzes have been convicted and sentenced for schemes involving their operation of a number of house well being care companies in Macomb County. These companies claimed to offer reputable medical care to Medicare beneficiaries, however have been concerned in fraud.

“My workplace will diligently examine and prosecute all fraud motivated by greed,” U.S. Lawyer Ison mentioned in a press release. “Noli and Isabel Tcruz’s fraud has harmed taxpayers and the federal government applications that fund our taxes, together with Medicare and COVID-19 applications. Healthcare professionals and suppliers have the power and obligation to assist folks in a lawful method. But we is not going to hesitate to prosecute people like these defendants who violate these duties to line their very own pockets.”

The Tcruzes have been concerned in an roughly $5 million scheme to illegally supply kickbacks and bribes in change for house well being care referrals for Medicare beneficiaries. Additionally they didn’t pay their private and enterprise taxes.

After their final house care enterprise closed in February 2020, Noli Tcruz started committing fraud with the COVID-19 program. He used a member of the family’s id and enterprise to deceive and defraud the Small Enterprise Administration and Well being and Human Companies, acquiring greater than $250,000 in pandemic aid.

Two medical doctors, Dr. Terry Baul and Dr. David Calderone, admitted to accepting kickbacks and bribes in change for referring Medicare beneficiaries to the Tcruzes. As a part of their plea agreements, the 2 medical doctors have been ordered to pay greater than $3 million in restitution and forfeiture judgments. They have been additionally barred from collaborating in Medicare and different federal well being care applications.

“Paying kickbacks to safe referrals for medical providers in federal well being care applications is against the law and may end up in the availability of pointless providers, losing invaluable taxpayer {dollars},” Mario M. Pinto, Particular Agent in Cost of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies Workplace of Inspector Basic (HHS-OIG), mentioned in a press release. “HHS-OIG will proceed to work with our legislation enforcement companions to make sure that those that have interaction in abusive kickback schemes in our federal well being care applications are held accountable.”