Florida lawmaker charged with Medicare fraud

A Miami-based state senator and his wife have been charged by federal prosecutors with multiple violations related to Medicare fraud.

Sen. Alberto Gutman, a Republican, was charged with 12 counts of filing false claims, 10 counts of wire fraud, six counts of money laundering, two counts of witness tampering and one count of conspiracy.

According to the indictment from the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Miami, Gutman, his wife, and Maricela Maury, a business associate, privately owned several home health companies that bilked Medicare of nearly $1 million.

The indictment claims that Gutman and his associates bribed physicians to sign false treatment plans and faked home health Medicare claims. It also charges that Gutman received payment for false claims via wire transfers using other people’s names.