TAMPA, Fla. — The Justice Department announced that 19 people have been charged across multiple Florida counties as a result of multi-billion-dollar healthcare fraud schemes.
The federal investigation by the Department of Justice in the Middle District of Florida resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended losses.
Included in the 19 Middle-District people charged is 67-year-old Leo Joseph Govoni of Clearwater. He was charged for his role in a conspiracy to steal and misappropriate beneficiary funds from clients of the Center for Special Needs Trust Administration, a non-profit that managed funds for individuals with disabilities and other special needs.
The FBI said Govoni allegedly established over a hundred shell companies to conceal the corruption. On June 3, Govoni was also ordered to transfer all stock to the Chapter 11 trustee. He owned stock in Big Storm Brewery, and the company now belongs to the bankruptcy estate.
More information on the investigation and the charges is available on the Health Care Fraud Unit’s website.
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