A Florida con artist is heading to the slammer for nearly a decade after pleading guilty to running a multimillion-dollar health care fraud racket and siphoning COVID-19 relief funds. Kareem Memon, 34, from Coral Springs, was sentenced to 96 months in federal prison followed by three years of supervised release. The sentencing was handed down in Miami by U.S. District Judge Raag Singhal, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Memon admitted to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to violate the federal Anti-Kickback Statute, after his plea on February 8. Court documents revealed Memon and his cronies ran marketing call centers and telemedicine outfits, pushing unnecessary equipment to Medicare beneficiaries. They lured doctors to sign off on these orders in exchange for bribes, scamming Medicare out of more than $11 million bucks.
In a separate but just as shady move, on Sept. 21, 2023, Memon also pled guilty to wire fraud, money laundering, and being a felon in possession charges before the same judge. Using the cover of the pandemic, Memon got his hands on over $451,000 in loans meant to help struggling businesses. He banked loans under the Economic Injury Disaster Loans (EIDL) and Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) funded by the Small Business Administration.
Documents and statements in court spelled it out: instead of using the loans as intended, Memon funnelled those funds for personal use. At the time of his bust, law enforcement found Memon, already a convicted felon, with a stash of 12 firearms and ammo, further shoring up his criminal cred. The scheme was busted open by a joint task force, detailed in the statement from U.S. Attorney's Office.
The May 2021-established COVID-19 Fraud Enforcement Task Force played a key role in bringing Memon down, aiming to snuff out pandemic-related fraud. The task force is a DOJ initiative, combining forces with agencies countrywide to prevent and prosecute fraud, particularly as it relates to pandemic relief efforts.
