Guilty Pleas In Multi-Million Dollar Medicare Fraud Case

By: U.S. Attorney-Southern District | WSAV-TV
Published: September 01, 2010

SAVANNAH, GA – Alfredo Rasco, 51, and Niurka Rasco, 49, both from Miami, Florida, and Iris Oswald, 54, from St. Simons Island, Georgia, pleaded guilty earlier this week before United States District Court Judge William T. Moore, Jr. for their roles in a scheme to defraud Medicare of $6.5 million. Seconds before the scheduled start of the government’s evidence in the trial, the defendants pled guilty.

Evidence during the guilty pleas showed that from December of 2005 through March of 2008, Alfredo Rasco, Niurka Rasco, Iris Oswald and others operated United Therapy, a phony medical clinic located in downtown Savannah. The defendants and others lured Medicare beneficiaries to United Therapy with free food, transportation and gift cards. Many of the Medicare beneficiaries targeted by the scheme were afflicted with HIV or AIDS and lived in local homeless shelters and Section VIII housing. Once at United Therapy, the Defendants used the patients’ Medicare information to submit $6.5 million worth of phony bills to Medicare for infusion services that were not provided to those patients. Before law enforcement put a stop to this fraud, the defendants stole over $4 million from Medicare.

For his role in the scheme, Alfredo Rasco faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to twelve years in prison, fines up to $500,000 and three years of supervised release. Niurka Rasco faces a maximum statutory penalty of up to six months in prison, a fine up to $2,000 and one year of supervised release. The Rascos also forfeited proceeds of the scheme, including $1.3 million seized from their bank accounts and a 42' powerboat they named “Thank You, God.” For her role in the scheme, Iris Oswald faces a maximum statutory penalty of five years in prison, a fine up to $250,000 and three years of supervised release. Ms. Oswald also agreed to forfeit a home she purchased on St. Simons Island with proceeds of the fraud scheme.

All three defendants remain on bond pending sentence, which will be held upon the completion of a pre-sentence investigation and report.