Former doctor, partner face federal fraud charges

A former medical doctor and his business partner made their first appearences in federal court Monday after being indicted July 5 for a $7.1 million Medicare fraud scheme at three Las Vegas hospices, the Department of Justice said in a statement.

Camilo Q. Primero, 74, of San Dimas, California, and Aurora S. Beltran, 61, of Glendora, California, are accused of operating a scheme from about Jan. 1, 2012, to July 5, 2017, to obtain money from the federal Medicare program, the statement said.

Primero is a former medical doctor and owner of Angel Eye Hospice, Vision Home Health Care and Advent Hospice, all in Las Vegas.

The two allegedly filed false enrollment documents with Medicare to operate hospice and home care agencies and submitted claims for people who were not terminally ill or did not need hospice care, the release said.

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-oig, assisted by Irs-criminal Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Patrick Burns.

Primero and Beltran face charges related to health care fraud, three counts of false statements relating to a health benefit program and 13 counts of money laundering, the statement said. They face a criminal forfeiture money judgment of at least $7,083,130.