Psych Drugs
Miami Herald
Miami psychiatrist, sent to prison for 12 years, must repay $50 million
Psychiatrist pleaded guilty to federal charges, apologized for his crimes
A Miami psychiatrist flooded Miami’s streets with anti-psychotic drugs as part of a scheme to defraud Medicare and Medicaid.
By Daniel Chang
July 22, 2016
— Excerpt
Suspended from the Medicaid and Medicare programs for over-prescribing anti-psychotic drugs, a Miami psychiatrist continued undeterred for years to defraud agencies, including the Social Security Administration and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services — until he cost taxpayers more than $50 million in losses, federal prosecutors said Friday during a sentencing hearing for the physician, Fernando Mendez-Villamil.
For his crimes, Mendez-Villamil, who pleaded guilty in May to federal charges of healthcare and immigration fraud and filing false claims, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Federico Moreno to 12 years and seven months in federal prison, three years of probation and ordered to repay $50.6 million to the four government agencies.
“I know what I did was wrong, was dishonest,” Mendez-Villamil, 49, said in court prior to receiving his sentence. “That’s not the way I was raised… I apologize for my behavior. I feel guilty. I’m sorry for the damage I have done.” …