Florida man impersonates physician, files $1M+ in insurance claims

Alyssa Rege -

A 33-year-old Florida man was indicted July 11 on charges of impersonating a physician and billing more than $1 million in fraudulent medical claims through a "phantom medical practice," according to nj.com.

Here are four things to know:

1. Yoandi Marrero was indicted July 11 on charges he used the personal information of a New Jersey physician to fraudulently bill UnitedHealthcare for nonexistent medical services.

2. The Office of the Insurance Fraud Prosecutor, part of the New Jersey Attorney General's Office, told the publication Mr. Marrero claimed to have provided physical therapy and medical services to more than 12 patients at the PA Clinical Center in Denville, N.J.

3. Authorities said Mr. Marrero received approximately $46,000 in payments before he was arrested after a patient noticed her insurance company had been billed for services she had never received, the report states. Investigators traced the claim to the medical facility and Denville and discovered the address belonged to an empty storage unit.

"Nothing about these claims for medical services was legitimate; not the doctor who allegedly performed them; not the patients who allegedly received them, not even the facility in which they were allegedly performed," acting New Jersey Insurance Fraud Prosecutor Tracy Thompson said in a statement to the publication.

4. If convicted, Mr. Marrero faces up to 10 years in prison for charges of insurance fraud, theft by deception and identity theft.

To access the full report, click here.

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