In a nationwide crackdown on healthcare fraud and abuse, ten individuals have been charged with criminal offenses, including nine from Florida. The two-week law enforcement action targeted 193 defendants accused of participating in healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes totaling over $2.75 billion in alleged false billings.
Among those arrested and charged in Florida are Ma Gracia Cadet, Eva LeBeau, Lori Lebrecht, Robert Desselle, Marques Elijah Green, Lisa Williams, Lawrence Waldman, Erin Kim, Eric Brewer, and Waymon Wallace. The suspects are accused of defrauding programs meant to care for the elderly and disabled through various healthcare schemes.
One of the accused, Eric Brewer, allegedly stole fentanyl intended for patient use in Tampa hospitals and injected himself with the illegal substance. Lisa Williams is accused of tampering with fentanyl infusion bags at a hospital. Others such as Cadet, LaBeau, Desselle, and Green are accused of fraudulently obtaining millions in Medicare funds through fraudulent insurance claims.
Lawrence Waldman is accused of making fraudulent claims to Medicare and receiving nearly $380,000 in illegal kickbacks and bribes. Erin Kim is accused of prescribing over 1.5 million pills of Adderall and other stimulants and receiving over $800