Attorney General James Uthmeier Announces Arrests in $345K Medicaid Transportation Fraud Scheme

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General James Uthmeier today announced that the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) is charging Hector Luis Sanchez Gonzalez and Juan Carlos Vilchez Montiel, who were both arrested for their roles in a coordinated scheme to defraud Florida’s Medicaid program out of hundreds of thousands of dollars in non-emergency medical transportation (NEMT) claims.

“Florida’s Medicaid program is not there to line the pockets of fraudsters gaming the system,” said Attorney General James Uthmeier. “My office will continue to hold criminals accountable, protect taxpayer dollars, and stop those who think they can cheat the people of Florida without consequence.”

After the Attorney General’s Office secured warrants, the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office and the St. Johns County Sheriff’s Office assisted in taking both individuals into custody.

According to the investigation, Sanchez Gonzalez and Vilchez Montiel submitted fraudulent NEMT claims by falsely inflating mileage. Drivers paid Medicaid recipients—either in cash or via Cash App—in exchange for allowing them to list pickup locations far from the recipients’ actual addresses, boosting the mileage and increasing the drivers’ reimbursement.

GPS data revealed that during more than 8,000 trips claimed by Sanchez Gonzalez, he was at his own residence rather than transporting patients. He admitted to knowingly submitting false claims and stated he was able to pay the recipients because he was profiting off the inflated mileage.

From January 1, 2020, to August 31, 2023, Sanchez Gonzalez’s scheme resulted in a loss of $134,568.02 to the Medicaid program. Vilchez Montiel’s scheme during the same time frame caused a loss of $211,239.27.

Both individuals face one count each of Scheme to Defraud, a first-degree felony punishable by up to 30 years in prison.

The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will prosecute the cases through an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit.

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