TROY, Mich. (AP) — Federal prosecutors say a Detroit-area couple who ran clinics that claimed to specialize in treating HIV have pleaded guilty to participating in a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud scheme.
The U.S. attorney's office in Detroit says the Troy residents made the pleas Wednesday before U.S. District Judge Paul Borman.
Forty-year-old Raymond and 25-year-old Emelitza Arias face sentencing Feb. 12, 2013, for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. It carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Prosecutors say the couple owned Elite Wellness LLC and Carefirst Occupational & Rehabilitation Center Inc. They say Raymond Arias paid doctors to refer Medicare patients so he could submit fraudulent claims.
The government says the couple submitted about $13.4 million in bogus claims in 2009-2011, and Medicare paid about $5.9 million.
