A Florida man was sentenced to prison for laundering the proceeds of a healthcare fraud and kickback scheme involving durable medical equipment (DME) that caused millions of dollars in losses to Medicare and other insurance providers, Acting US Attorney and Special Attorney Alina Habba announced. Thomas Farese, 83, of Fort Lauderdale, Florida, was sentenced to 24 months in prison followed by 6 months of home confinement. According to documents filed in this case and statements made in court: Farese invested in a DME supply company that was owned and operated by Aaron Williamsky, Nadia Levit, and others involved in a large-scale healthcare fraud and kickback scheme that involved billing Medicare and other insurers for DME—including orthotic knee, elbow, and back braces—that the receiving patients did not want or need.
In April 2019, Williamsky, Levit, and others were arrested and charged for their roles in the scheme. Farese learned of their arrests and fraudulent conduct shortly thereafter and communicated about it with his business partner, Patsy Truglia, who has been convicted for his role in the scheme. Farese then received into his bank account $495,000 in proceeds of the scheme. In addition to the prison term, Judge Farbiarz sentenced Farese to three years of supervised release (including the 6 months of home confinement) and to pay $1,314,000 in restitution to the victims. Judge Farbiarz also ordered forfeiture of $495,000, which constituted proceeds of the healthcare fraud scheme.