Florida Attorney General - Volume 9, Issue 70

On Tuesday, I participated in the annual Law Enforcement Torch Run benefitting the Special Olympics. For the 29th year, local, state, and federal law enforcement officers and others will carry the “Flame of Hope” more than 1,500 miles.

The Special Olympics is truly an inspirational event. Founded in 1968 by Eunice Kennedy Shriver to improve the welfare of people with intellectual disabilities through the power of sports, the Special Olympics has served millions worldwide since its inception.

The Special Olympics Florida program and our law enforcement community do so much on behalf of our Special Olympic athletes, and I was honored participate in this week’s event.

In closing, as Floridians celebrate Passover and the Easter holiday this weekend, may we all be grateful for the blessings God has bestowed upon us and the renewed sense of hope that these holidays represent.

Protecting Floridians

Florida Recovers More Than $54 Million From WellCare in Medicaid Fraud Settlement

Attorney General Pam Bondi announced that Florida has recovered more than $54 million in an agreement with WellCare that resolves allegations of accounting fraud and the falsification of records. A National Association of Medicaid Fraud Control Unit team, led by the Florida Attorney General’s Office, investigated the allegations and negotiated with WellCare on behalf of the settling states. Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, New York, Ohio, and the federal government also joined the total $137.5 million settlement. This settlement is in addition to an $80 million deferred prosecution agreement that the Florida Attorney General’s Office and the federal government entered into with WellCare in May 2009. The DPA required WellCare to pay $40 million in civil forfeiture and $40 million in restitution for damages to Florida Medicaid and the Florida Healthy Kids program. Click here to read more.