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Today, 42-year-old Royal Palm Beach, Florida resident Omar Smith pled guilty in South Florida federal court to lying on a coronavirus relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining hundreds of thousands of dollars intended to help small businesses financially survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Justice Department announced today that MorseLife Health System Inc. (MorseLife) has agreed to pay the United States $1.75 million to resolve its potential liability under the False Claims Act for facilitating COVID-19 vaccinations for hundreds of individuals ineligible to participate in the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program (LTC PPP), a program specifically designed to vaccinate long-term care facility (LTCF) residents and staff when doses of COVID-19 vaccine were in limited supply at the beginning of the CDC COVID-19...

A federal district judge in Miami sentenced the last of five defendants for his role in a health care fraud scheme operated out of a physical therapy clinic in Doral.

Ocala, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Levelle Joseph Harris (36, Kissimmee) has surrendered pursuant to an indictment charging him with 14 counts of wire fraud. Each count is punishable by up to 20 years in federal prison and a $250,000 fine. Harris had been indicted on June 7, 2022.

Tampa, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the unsealing of an indictment charging Alexander Leszczynski (22, North Redington Beach) with wire fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. If convicted on all counts, Leszczynski faces a maximum penalty of 30 years in federal prison. The indictment also notifies Leszczynski that the United States intends to forfeit $337,000, which represents the proceeds of the offenses, and property involved in the offenses. Leszczynski made his initial appearance on May 17, 2022, and was ordered detained pending his trial.

Orlando, Florida – U.S. District Judge Anne C. Conway has sentenced Tomas Ziupsnys (39, Kissimmee) to five years in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud, bank fraud, and aggravated identity theft. Holly Lynn Urban (36, Kissimmee) was sentenced to two years and six months in federal prison for conspiracy to commit bank fraud. The court also ordered both defendants to forfeit $632,000, which they had obtained from their participation in the bank fraud conspiracy. Ziupsnys had pleaded guilty on February 3, 2022, and Urban had pleaded guilty on January 20, 2022.

Federal prosecutors have charged 42-year-old Royal Palm Beach, Florida resident Omar Smith with lying on a coronavirus relief loan application and fraudulently obtaining more than two hundred thousand dollars intended to help small businesses financially survive the Covid-19 pandemic.

Tampa, FL – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces the results achieved to date by the Middle District of Florida’s efforts to combat fraud related to COVID-19. Those efforts have included complementary actions by the Criminal, Asset Recovery, and Civil Divisions, along with federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.

Orlando, Florida – United States Attorney Roger B. Handberg announces that Don V. Cisternino (45, Chuluota) has been successfully extradited from Croatia to face charges of wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and illegal monetary transactions. A federal grand jury in Orlando previously returned an indictment against Cisternino for these charges in February 2021. If convicted, Cisternino faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, up to 10 years’ imprisonment for each illegal monetary transaction count, and a mandatory consecutive term of two years for...

Physician Partners of America LLC (PPOA), headquartered in Tampa, Florida, its founder, Rodolfo Gari, and its former chief medical officer, Dr. Abraham Rivera, have agreed to pay $24.5 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by billing federal healthcare programs for unnecessary medical testing and services, paying unlawful remuneration to its physician employees and making a false statement in connection with a loan obtained through the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).