Hector Hernandez

On September 19, 2014, Hector Hernandez was sentenced to 2-and-a-half years in jail and ordered to pay $1.4 million in restitution after pleading guilty to health care fraud and money laundering. Hernandez was arrested January 6, 2014 while traveling with Cuban immigrants in a vessel toward the coast of Key West, Florida.

In July 2009, Hernandez was indicted on charges of health care fraud and money laundering. Investigators believe that Hernandez, through his company, submitted approximately $3.1 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for durable medical equipment (DME), such as sterile gauzes, appliance cleaners, urinary leg bags, and extension drainage tubings, which were not prescribed by a doctor and were never provided to Medicare beneficiaries.

Medicare provided Hernandez's company, Complete Medical Center, Inc., based in Miami, Florida, with approximately $1.4 million in reimbursement for these false claims.

Investigators believe that Hernandez left the United States after a warrant was issued for his arrest. A co-conspirator in the case, Alejandro Rodriguez, who was the original owner of Complete Medical Center, previously was arrested and pled guilty to charges of health care fraud. He was sentenced in February 2010 to 3 years and 5 months of incarceration and ordered to pay $1.5 million in restitution.