McALLEN — Two employees of a Palmview-area durable medical equipment business face federal health care fraud and identity theft charges.
A grand jury indicted Velma and Valente Alaniz III of Ace Medical Equipment and Supplies on nine counts of conspiracy, health care faud and aggravated identity theft.
Velma Alaniz is an owner of the medical supply company. Valente Alaniz is the company’s manager. Both are siblings of Palmview City Manager and La Joya school board member Johnn Alaniz.
http://liarcatchers.com/insurance_fraud.html
Prosecutors allege Velma and Valente Alaniz submitted thousands of dollars worth of fake claims to Medicare and Medicaid when they sold power wheelchairs to the federal insurance programs’ beneficiaries.
Rather than deliver the power wheelchair prescribed by the patient’s physician, the company allegedly sold them less expensive models but billed the federal government for the more expensive model.
Conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud carries a maximum punishment of up to 10 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Each count of aggravated identity theft carries a minimum two-year prison term that must be served consecutively to any other prison sentences.
Each suspect made an initial appearance before U.S. Magistrate Judge Peter Ormsby on Wednesday in federal court. A detention hearing for each person is set for Thursday.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Secret Service and the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigated the case.
