Nine arrested in $37 million health care scheme in Miami. Is your clinic on the list?

Nine Florida residents were arrested by the FBI this week in connection with a $37 million scheme involving 30 physical therapy clinics, private insurer Blue Cross Blue Shield and kickbacks to employees from companies like JetBlue and AT&T.

The U.S. Attorney’s Office of the Southern District of Florida announced the Tuesday arrests of Miami-Dade residents Arisleidys Fernandez Delmas, 32; her mother, Leidys Delmas Garcia, 51; and her husband, Pedro Hugo Prieto Garcia, 32. Also arrested were Daimara Borroto Garcia, 32, of Broward; Elias Caises Maurino, 52, of Miami-Dade; Yohana Iriza, 51; her ex-husband Gabriel Lozada, 50; their son Anthony Lozada, 23; and Julio Acosta Perez, 40.

Their arrest comes a few weeks after a federal grand jury in Miami charged them with health care fraud and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Arisleidys Fernandez Delmas, Leidys Delmas Garcia, Pedro Hugo Prieto Garcia, Daimara Borroto Garcia and Elias Caises Maurino were all listed as owners, managers or operators of the medical centers involved in the fraud, according to court documents.

How the fraud happened

The group is accused of offering and paying kickbacks and bribes to beneficiaries of health care plans managed by Blue Cross Blue Shield, including to employees of JetBlue Airways, AT&T Inc. and TJX Companies Inc., per court records. In return, the beneficiaries would enroll as patients at the clinics, which would submit fraudulent claims to Blue Cross for services that were never provided.

Most of the involved clinics are in Miami-Dade County, and several have shared addresses in Doral and the Fountainbleu area, the indictment shows. Two of the other clinics are in Davie and Tampa.

The people arrested are also accused of paying kickbacks and bribes to their co-defendants if they referred new Blue Cross beneficiaries to the physical therapy clinics, court records reveal. This way, they could submit more fraudulent claims.

They are also accused of paying licensed massage therapists, who also were arrested Tuesday, to act as owners and operators of physical therapy clinics, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

Two Broward residents, Emiliano Joaquin Garcia and Gabriel Jaime Mejia, who work for JetBlue, were listed as defendants though their role remains unclear, according to court documents.

Clinics tied to scheme

▪ Amethyst Rehabilitation Center Inc. in Fountainbleu

▪ Blue Diamond Rehabilitation Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Boise Medical Center Inc. in Doral

▪ Fenix Medical Center LLC in Doral

▪ Fernandez Medical Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Friend Rehabilitation Center LLC in Little Havana

▪ Genesis Rehabilitation Center LLC in Little Havana

▪ Hernandez Medical Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Herrera Medical Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Hope Rehabilitation Center LLC in Tampa

▪ Isaias Medical Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Jade Medical Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ LDG Medical Center LLC in Davie

▪ Love Massage Medical Center Inc in Fountainbleu

▪ Lovely Medical Center in Coral Terrace

▪ Mateo Rehabilitation Center LLC in Little Havana

▪ Moros Massage Medical Center in Fountainbleu

▪ Onyx Medical Center LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Pain Relief Center of Hialeah LLC in Hialeah

▪ Phoenix Rehab Center Corp. in Fountainbleu

▪ Prado Rehabilitation Center LLC in Little Havana

▪ Renacer Medical Center LLC in Doral

▪ San Judas Tadeo Physical Therapy Center LLC in Little Havana

▪ The Best Always for You LLC in Fountainbleu

▪ Yemaya Medical Center LLC in Little Havana

The case was investigated by the FBI’s Miami Field Office. If convicted, each defendant can face up to 10 years in federal prison.