Among those charged locally is Laura Seiler-Anstett, 55, of Coral Springs, a medical biller and consultant accused of submitting roughly $58.3 million in bogus claims to Medicare for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and tied to illegal kickbacks. Prosecutors say Medicare actually paid out about $30 million on those claims before catching on. She was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, along with health care fraud itself.
Also charged is Anthony Tursi, 39, of Boynton Beach, accused of running a call center that pushed Medicare beneficiaries into unnecessary genetic testing through deceptive telemarketing, then “doctor chased” physicians into signing off on the tests with misleading faxes. Prosecutors say Tursi’s scheme funneled roughly $62 million in fraudulent claims to laboratories.
The South Florida cases were part of a much larger sweep that resulted in charges against 455 defendants nationwide, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, in connection with more than $6.5 billion in false claims. Investigators also seized more than $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles and jewelry, and authorities tracked down fugitives as far away as Cyprus, Estonia and the Philippines. Locally, prosecutors said they seized more than $27 million tied to a dozen South Florida clinics accused of running “bust-out” schemes — billing Medicare for wound care products that patients never received…