Attorney General Moody Announces Arrests of Miami Health Care Workers for Paying Kickbacks Resulting in More Than $100,000 in Medicaid Fraud

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit today announced the arrests of three Miami-Dade County health care workers for committing Medicaid fraud. For more than two years, Dayanais Lopez, 38, Osmany Recano, 45, and Yosvany Rodriguez, 43, paid kickbacks to Medicaid recipients for psychosocial rehabilitation services. The defendants paid recipients up to $500 a month, or gift cards redeemable for cash, to attend PSR sessions—resulting in a loss to the state Medicaid program in excess of $100,000. 

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “These health care workers knowingly solicited and discreetly paid kickbacks to Medicaid recipients for mental-health services. They were so focused on their criminal agenda that they even instructed changes to insurance providers to allow more claims and told all recipients to keep quiet about the kickbacks. This illegal scheme stole from Florida taxpayers and caused more than $100,000 in losses to the state program.”

Acting on a complaint from Humana, investigators found Cutler Bay Mental Health Corp recruited numerous Medicaid recipients to attend PSR therapies for monetary kickbacks. Lopez and Rodriguez owned and operated the mental-health facility, while Recano acted as a driver of the facility and recruited the recipients to attend the sessions. PSR therapies are services to restore a recipient’s skills and abilities necessary for independent living, including food planning and preparation, money management and more. The investigation revealed that recipients reported illegal concerns with the kickbacks to the defendants. However, the defendants told all recipients to be careful and to not say anything to anyone.

The defendants all face one count of Medicaid fraud, first-degree felonies. The case will be prosecuted by Attorney General Moody’s MFCU through an agreement with the State Attorney for the 11th Judicial Circuit.

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The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.

The Florida MFCU is funded through a grant totaling $29,707,695 for Federal Fiscal Year 2024, from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General. The Federal Share of these funds is 75% totaling $22,280,772. The State Matching Share of these funds is 25% totaling $7,426,923 and is funded by Florida.