Central Coast physician plead guilty to Medicare fraud
A Ventura County physician has entered a guilty plea to a single county of Medicare fraud in a case involving more than $3.9 million of false claims that patients were terminally ill.
Dr Victor Contreras, 68, a resident of Santa Paula entered the plea in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles on July 24. In his plea agreement Contreras stated that from July 2016 to February 2019, he and co-defendant Juanita Antenor submitted nearly $4 million in false claims for hospice services submitted by Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc., and Saint Mariam Hospice Inc. Both companies were controlled by Antenor, the complaint said.
The complaint, filed by the U.S. Attorney for the Los Angeles district, said Contreras falsely stated on claims forms that patients had terminal illnesses to make them eligible for hospice services covered by Medicare. “Contreras did so even though he was not the patients’ primary care physician and had not spoken to those primary care physicians about the patients’ conditions,” according to a release that announced the plea agreement.
“In total, approximately $3,917,946 in fraudulently claims were submitted to Medicare, of which a total of approximately $3,289,889 was paid,” the release said. The release added that Contreras is a licensed physician but has been on probation with the Medical Board of California since 2015.
Sentencing is set for Oct. 25 and the single charge carries a penalty of up to 10 years in prison. Antenor, formerly of Pasadena remains at large while co-defendant Callie Black of Lancaster, who allegedly played a role in recruiting patients, has pleaded not guilty and is slated to go on trial on October 15.
