A hospice executive has been sentenced to 20 years in federal prison for multiple counts of health care fraud in connection with a scheme where thousands of patients were falsely told they had less than six months to live so they could be enrolled in long-term end-of-life care.
Rodney Mesquias, 48, the owner of Merida Health Care Group, was sentenced on Wednesday and also ordered to pay $120 million in restitution. According to officials, the scheme involved offering physicians kickbacks for fraudulent referrals, and some physicians were invited to ritzy nightclub parties in Las Vegas for participating.
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