Jose Benitez

Charges, as published

• Conspiracy to Defraud the United States, to Cause the Submission of False Claims, and to Pay Health Care Kickbacks
• Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud
• Submission of False Claims
• Money Laundering Conspiracy
• Money Laundering

Case details, as published by FBI

Jose Benitez, Carlos Benitez, and Luis Benitez are wanted for their alleged involvement in a multi-million dollar scheme to defraud Medicare in the Miami-Dade area of Florida. It is alleged that from 2001 through 2004, the Benitez brothers, using straw owners to disguise their own involvement, owned and directed eleven medical clinics that purportedly provided HIV infusion treatment to infected Medicare beneficiaries. However, the medication that was alleged to have been given to the patients was medically unnecessary and often never given to the patients. The patients received kickbacks for their Medicare information. The Benitez brothers then allegedly opened sham companies to launder millions of dollars coming into the clinics from Medicare. On May 22, 2008, the Benitez brothers were indicted by a Federal Grand Jury for the United States District Court, Southern District of Florida, for conspiracy to defraud the United States, to cause the submission of false claims, and to pay health care kickbacks; conspiracy to commit health care fraud; submission of false claims; money laundering conspiracy; and money laundering. That same day, federal warrants were issued for their arrests.