Attorney William Spicola sent a letter late Friday to Attorney General Ashley Moody and other statewide fraud investigators, naming four new witnesses of Medicaid fraud and “improper billing practices proposed by ACPDO Management, Inc.” who want to share information they have with state investigators.
This is the latest development in the ongoing investigation that the Florida Bulldog recently wrote off as a case closed because Miami Dade State Attorney’s office said they would not pursue prosecuting the individuals they arrested.
However, the Spicola letter says the four Miami-based witnesses were fired by a “Jacksonville dentist, Dr. Howard Fetner,” even though they never “had any contact with him prior to the termination notices” just because they had complained about “incorrect billing codes” and other billing changes being made under their Medicaid billing numbers without their authorization.
While the Bulldog story characterizes the previous arrests as a miscarriage of justice influenced by a $50,000 contribution to CFO Jimmy Patronis’ political organization, the CFO’s office publicly stated this was “an ongoing investigation.” Indeed, the Spciola letter to Moody says, “Following the termination of Dr. Ania Cabrerizo, ACPDO Management, Inc. submitted reimbursement claims to Medicaid contractors using false credentials. In addition, ACPDO Management, Inc. began changing insurance claim billing codes of patients seen by Doctors Puig, Sanchez, and Tejeda without their authorization or knowledge.”
You can access the full letter to the Attorney General and state investigators here.
