MIAMI, FL — Manuel Delgado, 64, has pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government by interfering with the oversight of the Medicare program, as announced by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida on March 14.
Delgado, a contractor for the Board of Certification/Accreditation (BOC), admitted to working with others to defraud the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) through a fraudulent accreditation scheme. This scheme targeted durable medical equipment (DME) companies and involved fraudulent billing for medical supplies valued at over $1.4 million.
According to court documents, Delgado’s role was crucial in inspecting DME companies to ensure their compliance with CMS standards. BOC accreditation was necessary for these companies to become eligible for Medicare reimbursement. Delgado, however, accepted bribes from business owners in exchange for expediting their companies’ accreditation and enabling them to enroll with Medicare.
In addition to accepting cash bribes, Delgado also established companies using family members’ names to conceal his financial interest. He personally inspected these entities, obtained BOC accreditation, and secured CMS approval before selling them as Medicare-enrolled suppliers, allowing them to fraudulently bill Medicare for medical equipment.
Delgado waived his right to a grand jury indictment, allowing the case to proceed through an information filing. He also agreed to forfeit $288,700, representing proceeds from the fraudulent scheme.
Delgado now faces a maximum of five years in prison and a fine of up to $250,000 for his involvement in the Medicare fraud.
