Three owners of an independent laboratory have been charged for their alleged roles in a $36 million fraud scheme.
The three men allegedly submitted false claims for COVID-19 testing to healthcare benefit programs, including Medicare and the Health Resources and Services Administration's COVID-19 Uninsured Program, according to an April 24 Justice Department news release. The alleged scheme occurred between November 2018 and June 2023.
They also allegedly paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to patient recruiters who arranged for healthcare providers to refer the tests to their lab, Innovative Genomics.
The men charged in the indictment are:
- Enrique Perez-Paris, 47, of Aventura, Fla.
- Diego Sanudo Sanchez Chocron, 47, of Venice, Calif.
- Gregory Caskey, 57, of San Antonio
The three are each charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, three counts of healthcare fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.