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Two South Florida Men Sentenced for $34.8M Medicare Brace Fraud
Two South Florida men were sentenced after pleading guilty to conspiring to defraud Medicare by billing for orthotic braces that beneficiaries did not need. Federal prosecutors say Kenneth Charles Kessler III of Miami and Michael Andrew Gomez of Miramar owned seven Florida durable medical equipment companies and submitted millions in false claims totaling about $34.8 million. Authorities say the scheme involved illegal kickbacks and bribes to obtain fraudulent signed doctor’s orders; Kessler was convicted of profiting more than $1.4 million and Gomez more than $2.3 million. After guilty pleas in May, Kessler received a 33-month prison term and Gomez a 24-month term; the case was brought by the U.S. Department of Justice and sentences will be carried out by federal authorities.
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