Ms. Lombera was sentenced to 30 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release; Ms. Cardenas received a sentence of 24 months’ imprisonment and three years’ supervised release. Both defendants were ordered to pay restitution of $254,469 to Medicare, according to the release. In Nov. 2009, Ms. Lombera and Ms. Cardenas pleaded guilty to one count of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud.
According to the release, from Feb. 2006 to Dec. 2006, the defendants conspired with Alberto Gonzalez-Gomez, MD, and others to defraud Medicare through the submission of fraudulent claims from an HIV-clinic known as Medley Clinic. Medley Clinic submitted over $3 million in fraudulent Medicare claims and was reimbursed $254,469.
In 2006, two cooperating witnesses, posing as recruiters, brought individuals purporting to suffer from HIV-related ailments to the Medley Clinic in exchange for kickbacks from the clinic, according to the release. Ms. Lombera and Ms. Cardenas, who controlled Medley Clinic, instructed the individuals complete paperwork, fraudulently claiming that Medley provided them with expensive HIV-related drugs, when, in fact, in most cases, the drugs were neither provided nor medically necessary. In July and August 2006, the cooperating witnesses wore hidden devices that recorded conversations with Ms. Lombera and Ms. Cardenas in which the defendants admitted being aware of the fraud.
Dr. Gonzalez-Gomez was prosecuted separately and was sentenced to 24 months’ imprisonment.
Read the DOJ’s release about Lisset Lombera and Yamilet Cardenas.
