In a federal courtroom in Florida, former Miami inspector Manuel Delgado, age 64, submitted a guilty plea in a case involving bribery and fraud that targeted the Medicare system. Reports indicate Delgado was involved in obstructing the Medicare program's oversight, conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS). According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida, Delgado, who worked as a contractor for the Board of Certification/Accreditation, International (BOC), accepted cash bribes from numerous DME company owners to expedite the accreditation process necessary for billing Medicare.
The scheme involved Delgado forming durable medical equipment (DME) companies in names of his relatives to hide his personal interest and then personally inspecting and accrediting these companies through the BOC. The fraudulent accreditation allowed these companies to enroll with Medicare, greatly increasing their value. The fraudulently accredited DME companies Delgado inspected valued over $1.4 million. Once accredited, he sold them off as Medicare-enrolled suppliers. Delgado now faces a maximum sentence of up to five years in prison upon his sentencing, as reported during a hearing before U.S. Magistrate Judge Ellen D'Angelo. The presiding U.S. District Judge K. Michael Moore is set to receive a report and recommendation on the case.
The announcement of Delgado's plea was made by several key officials, including U.S. Attorney Hayden P. O'Byrne for the Southern District of Florida and supervisory officials of the HHS-OIG and FBI Miami Regional Offices. The FBI Miami and HHS-OIG were the primary investigators of the case, while Assistant U.S. Attorney Aimee C. Jimenez and Trial Attorney Jacqueline DerOvanesian of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are handling the prosecution. In regards with asset forfeiture, Assistant U.S. Attorney Daren Grove is responsible.
For those interested in following the developments of this case, updates and related court documents can be accessed on the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida's website or on the District Court for the Southern District of Florida's website. The case number associated with the proceedings is 25-cr-20006.
