A Pompano Beach nursing assistant is headed to federal prison for nine years after a jury found he helped run an $11.4 million Medicare scam built on shipping medically unnecessary orthotic braces to seniors across the country. Christian "Chris" Cruz, 45, was also ordered to pay $3.7 million in restitution, forfeit nearly $725,000 and serve two years of supervised release once he is out of prison.
Sentence And Penalties
The nine-year term came after a federal judge reviewed evidence that Cruz pocketed hefty profits by pushing out thousands of braces that many Medicare beneficiaries never asked for and did not need, according to CBS News. The outlet reports that on top of the prison time, Cruz was ordered to pay $3.7 million in restitution, give up nearly $725,000 and submit to two years of supervised release after his incarceration.
How Prosecutors Say The Scheme Worked
Federal prosecutors say Cruz ran a Fort Lauderdale area durable medical equipment supplier that billed Medicare for orthotic braces that were not medically necessary, leaning on paid marketers and telemedicine doctors to churn out signed orders, according to a Justice Department press release. The department said Cruz hid the involvement of a co-conspirator who was already a convicted felon and that many braces were shipped to beneficiaries who neither requested them nor needed them.
Money Trail And Official Reaction
At trial, prosecutors laid out how Cruz moved several hundred thousand dollars into his own accounts, then repeatedly pulled out cash in amounts just under $10,000 at South Florida bank branches, a pattern they argued was meant to duck federal cash-reporting rules. Federal officials blasted the conduct as an abuse of trust and said the sentence is meant to send a clear signal that medical professionals who try to game Medicare will be held to account, according to CBS News.
Court Verdict And Charges
A federal jury in Fort Lauderdale found Cruz guilty in January after a six-day trial on nine counts, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, four counts of health care fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States and three counts of structuring, according to Local10. Prosecutors say Medicare ultimately paid about $3.7 million on the bogus claims and that a co-conspirator named in court records has been charged but is still on the run.
Part Of A Wider Crackdown
Authorities say Cruz is far from the only person facing heat over questionable durable medical equipment billing as federal agents keep turning up similar scams that target Medicare and other public programs. A recent national health care fraud takedown charged more than 300 defendants and put a spotlight on coordinated enforcement against abusive billing for equipment such as braces, according to a press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida.
What Comes Next
The FBI and the HHS Office of Inspector General handled the investigation, and federal prosecutors say related probes are still active as they track down other players tied to the scheme. Local reporting and court filings indicate one charged co-conspirator remains at large while authorities keep building out the rest of the case.
