McALLEN, Texas — A 52-year-old man from San Antonio, Texas, has been sentenced for his involvement in a fraudulent scheme that submitted over $150 million in false claims to Medicare for hospice and other healthcare services.
Jesus Virlar-Cadena, who pleaded guilty on June 4, 2019, was ordered by U.S. District Judge Rolando Olvera to serve 50 months in federal prison, followed by a year of supervised release. In addition to his prison sentence, Virlar-Cadena has been ordered to pay $9 million in restitution and $9 million in forfeiture.
From 2009 to 2018, Virlar-Cadena served as the medical director of the Merida Group, a large healthcare company that operated dozens of locations throughout Texas. Despite being a physician, his medical license was later suspended by the Texas Medical Board.
Source: San Antonio man sentenced in $150 million Medicare fraud scheme / My Texas Daily