A Southern California doctor, Dr. Victor Contreras, 69, has been sentenced to 24 months in federal prison for committing Medicare fraud. Prosecutors say he billed Medicare nearly $4 million for unnecessary hospice care between July 2016 and February 2019.
Contreras pleaded guilty to one count of healthcare fraud on July 24. In addition to prison time, he must pay nearly $3.3 million in restitution.
The fraud involved two hospice companies, Arcadia Hospice Provider Inc. and Saint Mariam Hospice Inc., run by 62-year-old Juanita Antenor. Authorities say Antenor paid illegal kickbacks to marketers to refer patients to these companies.
One of the marketers, Callie Black, 66, from Lancaster, was charged in 2022 with 10 counts of healthcare fraud and paying illegal kickbacks. Black has pleaded not guilty and is scheduled to go to trial in March.
Prosecutors revealed that Contreras falsely claimed patients had terminal illnesses to qualify them for hospice care under Medicare. Medicare paid $3.2 million of the $3.9 million in false claims, even though Contreras was not their primary care doctor.
Since 2015, Contreras has been on probation with the California Medical Board, which had already restricted his medical practice.
Meanwhile, Antenor remains at large and is believed to be in the Philippines.
