United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe has announced a sweeping series of criminal charges and a civil settlement targeting systemic fraud within the Medicare and Veterans Affairs healthcare systems. The local operations are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated federal action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants across 56 federal districts, including 90 doctors and licensed medical professionals.
Nationally, the schemes involved more than $6.5 billion in false claims and led to asset seizures totaling over $182 million.
“Millions of Americans depend on critical services provided by our nation’s federal healthcare programs,” U.S. Attorney Kehoe stated. “Companies or individuals who exploit these systems through fraud and deception for their personal gain compromise the efficacy of those services and commit theft from taxpayers. We will continue to leverage the resources of our law enforcement partners to ensure that these programs remain sound and effective in the future.”
The largest localized scheme uncovered in the Middle District of Florida involves an alleged $118 million wound care fraud ring. A federal indictment charges Leigh Tesar, 44, of Sarasota, Walter Presha, Jr., 51, of Ellenton, and Koby Evans, 31, of Apollo Beach, with conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive healthcare kickbacks.
Prosecutors allege that Tesar, a nurse practitioner, worked with Presha and Evans, both nurses, to target Medicare patients for expensive and unnecessary wound allografts (skin grafts). In some cases, the skin grafts were billed but never applied, or were used on infected and non-healing wounds of terminally ill patients. Over 18 months, Medicare was billed $118 million and paid out roughly $61 million. Law enforcement has since seized $11.8 million in assets related to the case.
Other schemes targeted federal funding streams from the COVID-19 pandemic. Leo Corrigan, 56, of Tampa, faces charges for a scheme involving over $7.5 million in fraudulent Medicare billing. Corrigan allegedly purchased Medicare beneficiary identification numbers to mass-ship over-the-counter COVID-19 tests to seniors who never requested them. He is also accused of operating a corporation that funneled patient data to genetic testing laboratories in exchange for $1.7 million in illegal kickbacks.
Similarly, Konstantin Braverman, 40, of Lake Worth, was indicted for a COVID-19 test scheme that generated $14.4 million in fraudulent reimbursements between January and November 2023. Marketers allegedly sold lists of patient information to medical providers who shipped unsolicited tests to seniors, paying Braverman a cut of the insurance payouts. Braverman personally pocketed more than $1.5 million from the operation.
Commenting on the exploitation of pandemic resources, FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley stated, “This defendant allegedly exploited a program designed to serve the public during a national health emergency, fraudulently obtaining more than $1.5 million in proceeds. Health care fraud is not a victimless crime. It steals taxpayer dollars, undermines trust in critical public programs and diverts resources from those who need it most.”
The crackdown also secured a major civil resolution. Lawrence Waldman of Miami has agreed to pay a $5 million civil settlement to resolve a False Claims Act case. Waldman, a former sales representative for ASAP Labs, previously pleaded guilty to criminal charges for paying kickbacks to physicians who signed off on unnecessary genetic and respiratory diagnostic tests. His formal sentencing is set for July 28, 2026.
In Tampa, 38-year-old Russian citizen Rustam Abdaev pleaded guilty to money laundering after using a front company, “Sunny and Recovery Inc.,” to bill Medicare and Florida Medicaid for $19 million in durable medical equipment (DME) like knee and wrist braces. The conspirators used stolen provider and patient numbers for equipment that was never prescribed or delivered, and Abdaev subsequently wired the proceeds to foreign financial institutions.
A separate brace-marketing scheme led to the indictment of Henry Garcia, 59, of Bradenton. Garcia allegedly ran multiple medical equipment companies that used international call centers in Canada and sham telemedicine consultations to fabricate doctor’s orders for senior citizens, paying illegal kickbacks for every order that triggered a Medicare reimbursement.
The investigation even reached into the legal profession. Marc Vincent Pazienza, 56, a licensed Florida attorney in Pasco County, was indicted on wire fraud and record-falsification charges. Federal prosecutors allege that Pazienza created shell corporations to hide over $300,000 in stolen funds belonging to two clients who had obtained the money through their own Medicare fraud schemes. Pazienza then allegedly spent the money on luxury goods and submitted fraudulent documents to a federal grand jury to cover his tracks.
Beyond Medicare, federal programs for military veterans were also compromised. In Orange and Lake Counties, Laurent Cassagnol, an employee for the Department of Veterans Affairs, and Heriberto L. Rivera, CEO of Family Integrative Medicine of Orlando (FIMO), were charged with kickback conspiracy. Rivera allegedly paid Cassagnol $175,172 in bribes to steer military veterans to his clinic, allowing FIMO to submit over $14 million in tainted claims to the VA, which paid out $11.9 million.
“The days of fraudulent healthcare schemes depriving veterans of essential services and benefits, while siphoning funds from taxpayers, are over,” said Cheryl L. Mason, Inspector General of the Department of Veterans Affairs. “Thanks to the relentless dedication of the VA OIG’s special agents, healthcare inspectors, and auditors, we are actively identifying these offenders and ensuring they face justice.”
The multi-agency effort relied heavily on data analytics to isolate high-risk billing patterns. Law enforcement partners included the FBI, HHS-OIG, the VA-OIG, the Defense Criminal Investigative Service, and IRS Criminal Investigation.
Special Agent in Charge Isaac M. Bledsoe of the HHS-OIG emphasized the collective focus on accountability: “Those who exploit patients or jeopardize the integrity of our programs for personal gain will be held accountable. Working alongside our law enforcement partners, HHS‑OIG will continue to pursue those who seek to defraud federal health care programs and ensure that they face justice.”
Adding to this, FBI Tampa Special Agent in Charge Rodney E. Crawford remarked, “These cases highlight the sickening exploitation of our nation’s healthcare system and the cold, callous efforts of those putting profit over patient care. These cases also emphasize the FBI’s collective resolve to work with our law enforcement partners to identify the fraud, dismantle the schemes, and ensure justice is served.”
The ongoing prosecutions will be steered by the newly formed National Fraud Enforcement Division, created by the Department of Justice on April 7. The division works in tandem with the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, which is chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate waste and abuse across federal benefit programs.
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