A federal jury in Miami convicted a Florida nurse practitioner of health-care conspiracy and other charges for playing a key role in a scheme that swindled hundreds of millions of dollars from Medicare.
Elizabeth Hernandez, 45, fraudulently billed Medicare for more than $200 million in orthotic braces and genetic tests that were medically unnecessary, according to the Department of Justice.
Medicare is the federal program that provides health coverage to primarily older Americans.
Hernandez, who was found guilty Thursday by jurors after a trial that lasted several days, participated in a broad scheme in which telemarketing companies would contact Medicare patients to persuade them to request unnecessary braces and tests, the DOJ said.
Persons:
Elizabeth Hernandez, Hernandez
Organizations:
Department of Justice, Medicare, DOJ
Locations:
Miami, Florida