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Trump granted clemency to Medicare fraudsters before vowing to cut entitlement program abuse
However, a review of Trump’s record shows that, in the closing months of his presidency, he used his clemency powers to help several people convicted in major Medicare fraud cases, including commuting the sentence of a man the Justice Department had described as having “orchestrated one of the largest health care fraud schemes in U.S. history.”
In his last year in office, Trump commuted the sentences of
at least five people who collectively filed nearly $1.6 billion in fraudulent claims through Medicare or Medicaid.
Among them was Judith Negron, the former owner of a Miami-area mental health company who was
sentenced in 2011 to 35 years in prison for her role in filing
$205 million in fraudulent Medicare claims and ordered to pay more than
$87 million in restitution. Trump
commuted her sentence in
February 2020.
Trump also granted clemency that year to
Daniela Gozes-Wagner, a Houston woman who was sentenced in
2019 to
20 years in prison for helping falsely bill more than
$28 million in claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medical tests that either never happened or were unnecessary. Those tests supposedly took place at
28 testing facilities that turned out to be empty offices — and prosecutors said Gozes-Wagner went so far as to hire “seat warmers” at those offices who were instructed to notify her if Medicare investigators arrived.
In December
2020, Trump commuted the sentence of Philip Esformes, who had been
convicted in 2019 “for his role in the largest health care fraud scheme ever charged by the Justice Department, involving over
$1.3 billion in fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services that were not provided, were not medically necessary or were procured through the payment of kickbacks,” the department said.
Esformes was sentenced to
20 years in prison — but was freed after serving about
4½ years, after Trump granted him clemency. The White House
noted at the time that, while in prison, Esformes was “devoted to prayer” and “in declining health.” Esformes was photographed
hosting and dancing at his daughter’s lavish wedding days later.
Last month, Esformes
pleaded guilty to Medicare fraud again after being
retried on unsettled charges that were not included in Trump’s clemency order. As part of a plea agreement, Esformes was sentenced to the time he had already served.
In the
final days of his presidency, Trump granted clemency to Salomon Melgen, a Florida eye doctor who had been
sentenced to 17 years in prison after being convicted for his role in defrauding Medicare out of
$42 million; and to John Estin Davis, a Tennessee health-care executive who had been sentenced the year before to
42 months in prison after being convicted for his role in filing over
$4.6 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare."
One of The Largest Defrauders of Medicare in History Still Wants to Gut Medicare
"Senator Rick Scott who oversaw one of the largest Medicare frauds in our nation’s history and earned his hospital chain a total of $1.7 BILLION in fines is still hellbent on gutting Medicare coverage for seniors. Already, elected Republicans and candidates around the country are voicing support for Senator Scott’s plan to sunset all federal legislation after five years, which could mean the end of key programs that millions of Americans rely on, including Medicare."
democrats.org