TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — You may remember the Better Call Behnken investigation into COVID-19 test fraud.
Medicare beneficiaries were receiving boxes full of coronavirus tests that they neither ordered nor requested.
Federal authorities are investigating the matter and have now announced the release of an indictment against a South Florida man charged with six counts of wire fraud and three counts of aggravated identity theft.
The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Middle District of Florida is based in Tampa, and U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg said the office has several active cases.
The government alleges that the West Park man used the personal identifying information of people incarcerated in the Florida Department of Corrections and even used the names of deceased individuals in his claims.
Handberg said these cases depend on Medicare beneficiaries reporting potentially fraudulent claims.
Medicare was defrauded of millions of dollars from these unwanted tests. U.S. Attorney Roger Handberg is in charge of prosecuting these types of cases.
“It's our money,” Handberg said. “It's money that goes to a specific purpose to help people and try to get them to take advantage of fraudulent opportunities. And that's where we see it in a lot of cases. These programs that are being utilized are It has been disabled as a response.
