THE family that plays together may well stay together, but so to does the family that commits healthcare fraud in the US.
Florida-based pharmacist mother-and-daughter team, Mirosis Gonzalez (58) and Berioska Sosa (32) are facing the possibility of sharing a cell after being indicted for "fraud and kickback crimes".
Prosecutors from the US Attorney's Office Southern District of Florida said that between Aug 2016 and May 2020, the duo paid kickbacks and bribes to marketing and telemedicine companies in exchange for their referring Medicare beneficiaries, as well as doctors' orders and prescriptions, to their pharmacy.
"According to the allegations, Gonzalez and Sosa submitted over US$12 million in false claims to Medicare and Aviva Care Pharmacy [the pharmacy they owned] received payments totalling more than US$8.4 million," prosecutors said.
The indictment charged Gonzalez and Sosa with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, and payment of kickbacks.
Prosecutors stressed that the Gonzalez and Sosa must be presumed innocent until proven guilty.
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