Five mental health counselors among dozens arrested, indicted in massive mental health fraud scheme

October 26, 2011

According to a federal indictment filed August 25, 2011 in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida, the following licensed mental health counselors were indicted for Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud:

Rafael Alalu

Barbara Morales

Debora de Jesus

Gala Myriam Onofre (aka Consuelo Onofre)

Licensed Florida marriage & family therapist Thomas Hamer was also included in the indictment.

Additionally, Alalu, Onofre, Morales and Hamer were indicted for and twelve counts of Health Care Fraud. 

These individuals were employees of Biscayne Milieu Health Center, a Miami-area mental health center. The owners, executives and several employees as well as employees of associated agencies are alleged have engaged in actions to submit $50 million in fraudulent claims to the Medicare program, resulting in close to $11 million in reimbursements. The overall scheme involved the recruiting of Medicare beneficiaries from the Southeast to Biscayne Milieu with the promise of providing them housing and services. These beneficiaries, who did not qualify for the services which Biscayne personnel billed Medicaid for, were housed in assisted living facilities and their Medicare numbers were used to create claims for services that were not medically necessary, were not eligible for Medicaid reimbursement, that were never provided.

Source: Indictment, U.S.A. vs Macli, et al, Case tno. 11-20587, United States District Court, Southern District of Florida and Jay Weaver "Medicare fraud case nets dozens of arrests," Miami Herald, September 7, 2011.