TL/DR –
Thomas Farese from Florida has been sentenced to 24 months in prison and 6 months of home confinement for laundering money from a healthcare fraud scheme involving durable medical equipment (DME). Farese was involved with a DME supply company which fraudulently billed Medicare and other insurers for unwanted or unneeded equipment, resulting in millions of dollars in losses. In addition to his prison term, Farese has been ordered to serve three years of supervised release, pay $1,314,000 in restitution to the victims, and forfeit $495,000, which constitutes the proceeds of the healthcare fraud.
Florida Man Sentenced for Money Laundering in Healthcare Fraud Scheme
Thomas Farese, a Fort Lauderdale resident, was sentenced to a 24-month prison term followed by six months of home confinement for his involvement in a healthcare fraud and kickback plot. The scheme centered on DME (Durable Medical Equipment), leading to substantial losses for Medicare and other insurance providers.
Farese, 83, previously admitted guilt before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz, who charged him with money laundering. The sentencing also mandates three years of supervised release, six months of home detention, and Farese to pay $1,314,000 in restitution to the affected parties. An additional forfeiture of $495,000, amounting to the healthcare fraud scheme’s proceeds, was also ordered.
The DME supply company where Farese invested was operated by Aaron Williamsky, Nadia Levit, and others. They were implicated in large-scale healthcare fraud and kickback scheme, involving billing for unnecessary DME supplies, including orthotic knee, elbow, and back braces. Williamsky, Levit, and others were arrested and charged in April 2019. Upon learning of their arrests, Farese allegedly received $495,000 in proceeds from the scheme into his bank account.
The investigation was led by special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigations, Newark Field Office, the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Defense, Defense Criminal Investigative Service. The prosecution is carried out by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica R. Ecker from the Health Care Fraud & Opioids Abuse Prevention Unit in Newark and Darren C. Halverson, Acting Assistant Chief of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
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