Two Florida men were sentenced today for their roles in a conspiracy to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks. Laurent Cassagnol was sentenced to 6 months in prison, and Heriberto Rivera was sentenced to 13 months in prison. In addition to the prison terms, Cassagnol was ordered to forfeit $175,172, and Rivera was ordered to forfeit $515,542, which represented the proceeds that the defendants obtained from the offense.
According to court documents, Cassagnol, 43, and Rivera, 43, both of Orlando, Florida, conspired to pay and receive illegal kickbacks and bribes to direct veterans and their families, who were patients of the VA Community Care Program (VACCP), to Rivera’s clinic, Family Integrative Medicine of Orlando, LLC (FIMO), for acupuncture, chiropractic adjustments, and other holistic medical services. Rivera, the CEO of FIMO, paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to Cassagnol, an Advanced Medical Support Assistant for VACCP, in exchange for Cassagnol using his position with the VA to steer VA patients to FIMO for medical services. Cassagnol was a vital point of contact between veterans and the VA health care system; his abuse of that role took advantage of veterans and their families who rely on the VA to obtain medical care. The actions of both defendants put profit before the needs of VA patients.
As a result of the illegal kickbacks, over $14 million in fraudulent claims were submitted to the VA and VACCP, of which over $11 million was paid. The investigation was the result of a complaint made to the VA Office of the Inspector General (VA-OIG) fraud hotline.
Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division; Special Agent in Charge Rodney E. Crawford of the FBI Tampa Field Office; and Acting Special Agent in Charge Josh Lollar of the VA-OIG Southeast Field Office made the announcement.
FBI and VA-OIG investigated the case.
Trial Attorneys Jody King and Angela Benoit of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the Fraud Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The Department of Justice’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since 2007. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/fraud/health-care-fraud-section.
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