Two Owners of Miami-Area Mental Health Care Corporation Plead Guilty to Orchestrating $200 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
WASHINGTON – Two Miami-area residents and owners of a mental health care corporation, American Therapeutic Corporation (ATC), pleaded guilty today in U.S. District Court in Miami for orchestrating a fraud scheme that resulted in the submission of more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services (HHS) announced. Lawrence S. Duran, 49, and Marianella Valera, 40, pleaded guilty at an arraignment hearing before Magistrate Judge Barry L. Garber to all counts charged in a superseding indictment, which was unsealed on Feb. 15, 2011. The superseding indictment charges Duran with 38 felony counts and Valera with 21 felony counts, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks, conspiracy to commit money laundering, money laundering and structuring to avoid reporting requirements. The court must hold a hearing scheduled for a later date to accep...