A Miami man charged with submitting approximately $38 million in fraudulent health care claims to United Healthcare and Blue Cross Blue Shield was arrested by federal law enforcement agents, the Justice Department said in a news release.
According to allegations in the federal grand jury indictment, 63-year-old Armando Valdes owned and operated Gasiel Medical Services in Miami, Florida, where he submitted approximately $38 million in false and fraudulent claims to United and Blue Cross for infusions of Infliximab which were medically unnecessary and not provided to patients as billed. Infliximab, known by the brand name Remicade, is an expensive prescription immunosuppressive drug approved for the treatment of Crohn’s disease, among other conditions.
Valdes used the proceeds to purchase four real estate properties, including a beachfront condo in Pompano Beach, as well as luxury vehicles including a Cadillac Escalade and a Tesla Model S, according to allegations in the indictment. Read more.
