FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (CBS12) — A Florida nursing assistant who sent thousands of unnecessary orthotic braces to Medicare patients was convicted Thursday in an $11.4 million fraud scheme built on fake doctors’ orders and hidden ownership.
The U.S. Department of Justice said that Christian “Chris” Cruz, 45, of Pompano Beach, owned a durable medical equipment company that billed Medicare for orthotic braces, federal investigators say, that beneficiaries didn’t request or require. Prosecutors said he and a coconspirator bought fraudulent doctors’ orders with illegal kickbacks, then used them to ship braces nationwide and file millions in false claims.
Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva said Cruz “blatantly lied to Medicare” to steal taxpayer money, while FBI Miami Assistant Special Agent in Charge Chris Caldwell called it a calculated scheme to “enrich himself by defrauding Medicare to the tune of millions.”…