A Florida con man has coughed up his role in a health care scam cashing in at over $11 million – after pleading guilty to charges including COVID-19 relief fraud and unlawful firearms possession. Kareem Memon, 34, of Coral Springs, a convicted felon not new to the inside of a courtroom, faced U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal in the Southern District of Florida, conceding to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, as per the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Paperwork from the health care fraud case and remarks made in court revealed that Memon, with his co-conspirators, led marketing call centers and telemedicine companies that finagled doctor's orders for medical supplies for Medicare recipients with no regard for medical necessity. The group operated a scheme where doctor's orders were traded for bribes from medical equipment companies, in turn supplying the goods to Medicare beneficiaries and directing over $11 million of undue charges to Medicare.
Previously, on September 21, 2023, Memon pled guilty to additional charges including wire fraud, money laundering, and being a felon in possession of firearms before the same judge. Court documents in the separate wire fraud case noted that Memon deceitfully sought upwards of $451,000 in loans earmarked as pandemic aid, misappropriating them for personal use. Upon his capture, authorities found Memon, a felon, in possession of a dozen firearms and ammunition, a blatant disregard for legal dictates.
Pending sentencing for the two cases on March 26, 2024, Memon faces a considerable stretch behind bars, with the health care fraud conspiracy alone carrying a sentence up to 10 years, not to mention, the kickback conspiracy. The wire fraud charge could lock him away for up to 20 years, the money laundering up to 10 years, and the gun possession charge a maximum of 15 years. Fines could possibly be in the mix of his penalties.
U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe for the Southern District of Florida, among other officials from various federal agencies, disclosed the case’s status, wit Assistant U.S. Attorneys Robin W. Waugh of the Southern District of Florida and Matthew Specht of the District of New Jersey tasked with the prosecutions, supported by Assistant U.S. Attorney Joshua Pastor handling asset forfeiture. These efforts are part of a broader government campaign under the COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force aiming to cast a wider net on pandemic-related crimes and ensuring those pilfering from relief efforts are held fully accountable.
With court documents readily available for public viewing, the cases against Memon unfold.
