Florida Man Convicted in $67 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
A Florida court has found 37-year-old José Goyos guilty of participating in a massive fraud network that defrauded the Medicare public health program of over $67 million, according to the Department of Justice. Goyos, along with his accomplices, deceived doctors into authorizing unnecessary genetic tests, resulting in false and fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare between 2020 and 2021. Medicare paid out more than $52 million based on these fraudulent claims.
Court documents and evidence presented during the trial revealed that Goyos, a resident of West Palm Beach, operated a call center that made deceptive calls to thousands of Medicare beneficiaries and their doctors. The call center’s employees misrepresented themselves as mutual patients and manipulated doctors into ordering and authorizing medically unnecessary genetic tests using falsified documents.
Furthermore, Goyos and his co-conspirators operated shadow laboratories that acted as mere frameworks. These laboratories had no equipment, performed no tests, and had no laboratory personnel. Instead, the fraudulent scheme involved redirecting the genetic tests to legitimate laboratories that charged a fraction of the price claimed by Goyos and his team.
After the trial, the jury convicted Goyos of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering. He now awaits sentencing, which is scheduled for December 21. Goyos could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for wire fraud conspiracy and 10 years for money laundering conspiracy.
This case highlights the ongoing battle against healthcare fraud in the United States, with the Department of Justice working to ensure that those who deceive and defraud government healthcare programs face justice.