Ricardo Cano is facing an 18-count indictment charging him with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and 10 counts of healthcare fraud. But in reality that isn’t his biggest fraud. Cano is also facing an additional seven counts of money laundering. But that still isn’t his biggest fraud. The worst may debatably be that Cano was not a doctor.
Between 2014 and 2019, clinics operating under the name Texas Federal Wellness Center billed the Department of Labor – Office of Worker’s Compensation Program for physical therapy services provided to injured federal employees. The clinics did see the patients, but Cano billed for a whole heck of a lot more. Cano allegedly directed the clinics to submit inflated claims for therapy, fictional medical visits, excessive therapy and fraudulent durable medical equipment. Cano went so far as to direct clinic employees to falsify patient checkout times on medical records to conceal the inflated therapy claims.” But again, this still wasn’t Cano’s worst fraud.
Cano was even accused of coordinating with a physician on the Texas Medical Board to obstruct complaints on Cano’s role in operating the clinics and the submission of false corporate records. And indictment alleges that Cano transferred approximately $43 million from the Texas Federal Wellness Center clinics to various bank accounts in Cano’s name. But again, still maybe not the worst.
The worst of the charges brought against Cano on September 1, 2023, were that despite how hard he worked to make it appear like he was a doctor, Cano wasn’t a doctor. Despite requiring that his employees call him one. Cano also arranged an agreement with a local physician to falsely give the appearance that the clinics were run by a licensed doctor who oversaw, managed, and controlled the clinics.
Shout out to the FBI in this case.
Today’s Fraud of The Day is based on article “Hefty bonds set for siblings charged in $80 million RGV healthcare fraud scheme” published by My RGV on September 1, 2023
A brother and sister from Hidalgo County have pleaded not guilty to an 18-count indictment accusing them of defrauding a federal workers’ compensation program out of $80 million. Ricardo Cano, 46, of McAllen, was arraigned on Thursday while his sister, Rosito Cano Meeks, 56, of Edinburg, had her arraignment on Monday.
U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker set Cano’s bond at $500,000 with a $25,000 cash deposit and set Meeks’ bond at $100,000 with a $10,000 cash deposit. Federal court records as of Friday morning did not indicate that they had bailed out and Meeks’ attorney on Tuesday filed a motion asking for reconsideration on her cash deposit.
