– Valley-wide healthcare fraud scheme charges
– Third suspect healthcare fraud scheme.
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A third individual has been implicated in a large-scale operation aimed at defrauding a federal workers’ compensation programme of a staggering $80 million.
The arrest of Jessica Marie Kinser, an employee of the Texas Federal Wellness Center, by federal authorities on Thursday marks the latest development in this ongoing case.
Kinser faces a single charge of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud in connection with this scheme.
The arrest of Kinser follows the prior indictment of Ricardo Cano, a 46-year-old resident of McAllen, and his sister Rosita Cano Meeks, 56, on Aug. 24, 2023.
All three individuals are accused of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, with Meeks and Cano facing additional charges of healthcare fraud. Cano also faces seven counts of money laundering.
Despite the charges, all three defendants have entered pleas of not guilty.
The alleged fraudulent activities took place between 2014 and 2019, with Cano, who posed as a physician under the moniker “Dr. Cano,” at the helm of the Texas Federal Wellness Center (TFWC). The TFWC operates clinics in Brownsville, Corpus Christi, Edinburg, Harlingen, McAllen and El Paso. Meeks oversaw billing operations, while Kinser managed employees and various TFWC entities.
According to the superseding indictment, Cano, Meeks, and Kinser submitted approximately $80 million in fraudulent claims to the Department of Labor’s Office of Worker’s Compensation Program during the specified period.
The indictment alleges that Kinser, Cano, and Meeks instructed employees to fabricate patient records to give the impression that patients spent more time at TFWC facilities than they actually did.
Employees were reportedly directed to record inflated check-out times for patients, falsify patient records to support these fictitious times, and conceal the fact that patients received less physical therapy than claimed.
Despite warnings from their own employees, Cano and Meeks allegedly continued the improper practice of inflating and falsifying records.
Prosecutors claim that Cano, who lacked the qualifications to provide medical services without proper supervision, collaborated with an unnamed physician referred to as “Physician 1” to perpetuate the scheme.
Despite a complaint filed with the Texas Medical Board in 2017, the alleged fraudulent activities continued under false representations to the board.
The superseding indictment suggests that Kinser played a role in procuring false records to deceive the Texas Medical Board about TFWC’s ownership and control.
Kinser appeared in McAllen federal court on Monday morning before U.S. Magistrate Judge J. Scott Hacker, with a detention hearing scheduled for the afternoon.
Meeks and Cano are currently out on bond, with Meeks on a $100,000 cash bond with a $5,000 deposit, and Cano on a $500,000 secured bond, as per court records.
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“Valley-wide healthcare fraud scheme”
“Third suspect charged in Valley-wide healthcare fraud scheme”.
