Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) announced the arrest of a man who stole hundreds of thousands of dollars from a state taxpayer-funded program.
MFCU charged Carlos Cabrera with Medicaid provider fraud. Cabrera ran Angels on Earth, a prescribed pediatric extended care business, and submitted fraudulent claims for services that should have been provided to children with medically-complex conditions, bilking Florida Medicaid out of more than $400,000.
Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This defendant used vulnerable children and their families for his own financial gain by overbilling and stealing from a taxpayer-funded program. My Medicaid Fraud Control Unit uncovered this devious scheme and will now ensure this defendant faces justice.”
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According to an investigation, Cabrera was the administrator for Angels on Earth PPEC. PPEC businesses provide continual care for children with medically-complex conditions in a nonresidential setting.
Cabrera, responsible for all Medicaid PPEC billing, billed a nearly 100% attendance rate to get the maximum payment per patient despite knowing that not everyone attended every day.
Further analysis of Medicaid recipient data and the Angels on Earth Daily Census Reports showed that services were not rendered for up to 34% of the claims submitted for reimbursement.
Despite children being absent, the overall pattern of billing and submitting claims to Medicaid demonstrates an intent to maximize billing without regard for accuracy, according to the AG’s office.
Cabrera faces one count of Medicaid provider fraud, a first-degree felony. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Moody’s Office of Statewide Prosecution.