In a sweeping crackdown on healthcare fraud, federal authorities have unsealed an indictment charging four Florida residents in an alleged multi-million dollar scheme to fleece the Medicare program. The charges reveal a tangled web of telemarketing, illicit kickbacks, and falsified records designed to siphon funds intended for senior healthcare.
Edward Cannatelli, 60, and Robbyn Cannatelli, 68, both of Parkland; Thomas Farese, 82, of Fort Lauderdale; and Virginia Lockett, 55, of Margate, are now facing the music. The indictment, announced by United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe, lays bare a brazen operation that allegedly defrauded Medicare, made false health care statements, and peddled in illegal kickbacks and bribes.
READ: Venice Man Sentenced For Unregistered Firearm, Tied To “Terrorgram” Group
But the accusations don’t stop there. The quartet is also staring down a second conspiracy charge for wire and healthcare fraud, along with counts of falsifying records during the very federal investigation that brought them down.
The potential penalties are staggering. If convicted on all counts, Edward and Robbyn Cannatelli, as well as Farese, each face a maximum of 65 years in prison. Lockett, meanwhile, could be looking at an astonishing 85 years in federal prison. The feds aren’t just seeking jail time; they’re also aiming to seize any property – real or personal – derived from the alleged criminal proceeds.
Court documents paint a vivid picture of the alleged scheme, which reportedly ran from June 2019 into at least June 2020. The Cannatellis, Farese, Lockett, and other conspirators – including Patsy Truglia, 56, of Parkland, and LouTricia Morgan, 49, of Sunrise (who have already pleaded guilty in related cases) – are accused of churning out medically unnecessary physicians’ orders for durable medical equipment (DME), specifically various orthotic braces.
READ: 20 Minutes To Justice: Jury Convicts Michigan Man In Deadly Stabbing Spree
The alleged playbook involved a telemarketing operation that targeted Medicare beneficiaries, harvesting their personal information and Medicare ID numbers to initiate bogus brace orders. This data was then allegedly funneled to sham “telemedicine” vendors. In a classic kickback arrangement, these vendors purportedly paid illegal bribes to physicians who signed off on the orders – often without ever even contacting the patients for required telehealth consultations.
Once the fraudulent orders were rubber-stamped, they were allegedly returned to the conspirators, who then used them to submit a flood of bogus DME claims to Medicare. To throw off suspicion, the indictment claims the fraudsters spread these fraudulent claims across three different DME storefronts that they secretly owned and controlled.
This isn’t Thomas Farese’s first brush with the law; he’s currently awaiting sentencing in a separate New Jersey case on money laundering charges.
Please make a small donation to the Tampa Free Press to help sustain independent journalism. Your contribution enables us to continue delivering high-quality, local, and national news coverage.
Connect with us: Follow the Tampa Free Press on Facebook and Twitter for breaking news and updates.
Sign up: Subscribe to our free newsletter for a curated selection of top stories delivered straight to your inbox.
