Three men are facing serious charges after being caught in a scheme that could be out of a crime drama—only the victims here are American taxpayers, and the pot is a staggering $36 million. Enrique Perez-Paris of Aventura, Florida; Diego Sanudo Sanchez Chocron of Venice, California; and Gregory Charles “Milo” Caskey of San Antonio, Texas, are alleged to have exploited the COVID-19 pandemic to fraudulently bill for unnecessary testing, as reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The indictment, which was unsealed in the Southern District of Florida, alleges that from November 2019 to June 2023, the trio and others colluded to, not only conduct medically unnecessary COVID-19 testing but to also improperly bill the HRSA COVID-19 Uninsured Program. The defendants went as far to also allegedly pay off patient recruiters to secure bogus referrals for their laboratory, Innovative Genomics.
Each of the accused made their initial court appearances to face the music. The charges piled against them include conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, three counts of health care fraud, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. And they aren't facing a slap on the wrist – each charge carries with it the weight of a maximum 20-year prison sentence for the conspiracy counts, and up to 10 years for each health care fraud count.
The announcement of the charges came courtesy of several high-profile justice officials, including U.S. Attorney Markenzy Lapointe and Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri. It was a joint investigative effort that brought this case to light, involving the concerted muscle of the FBI and HHS-OIG, aiming to bring to justice those who sought to profit from a public health crisis.
The details of the case sketch out a web of deceit and greed, with lab owners abusing their position to fraudulently bill federal health care programs and private insurers. The Innovative Genomics lab was a cog in a much larger machine, as the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has charged over 5,400 defendants who have collectively billed for more than $27 billion in falsified claims since March 2007.
But in the legal machine, every defendant is given their turn to prove their innocence. It's stated explicitly that an indictment is merely an allegation, and Perez-Paris, Sanchez, and Caskey remain presumed innocent until they are proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The upcoming trial will pull back the curtain further on this alleged scheme, and justice will have its day in court.
