Miami-Dade clinic operator pleads guilty to Medicare fraud
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Ihosvany Marquez spent his Medicare millions on a fleet of luxury cars, authorities say, including a Lamborghini Murcielago with spaceship-like doors that cost $455,959.
Early Monday, he pleaded guilty in Miami federal court to healthcare fraud charges alleging he submitted $55 million in false Medicare claims for HIV and cancer services at his seven Miami-Dade and Orlando clinics. Between 2005 and 2007, he and his partners raked in $22 million from the taxpayer-funded healthcare program.
Marquez, a Miami-Dade resident who could face more than 20 years in prison, ranks as a big spender among the hundreds of local Medicare-licensed operators accused of ripping off the government program for the elderly and disabled.
Among Marquez's alleged 19 car purchases for himself, his wife, other relatives and his personal trainer: A Lamborghini Gallardo, a Ferrari 612 Scaglietti, two Bentley Continental GTs, two Mercedes Benz CL63s and at least six Mercedes Benz S550s. The total tab: $2.7 million. He also spent $545,652 on jewelry and watches, among them a Rolex Meteorite for $48,000 and a diamond necklace for $108,443, authorities say. And he bought a seven-carat diamond ring for $98,086.
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USCIS Adjusting Premium Processing Fee
U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) announced today it is adjusting the premium processing fee for Form I-129, Petition for a Nonimmigrant Worker and Form I-140, Immigrant Petition for Alien Workers beginning on Oct. 1, 2018 to more effectively adjudicate petitions and maintain effective service to petitioners.
The premium processing fee will increase to $1,410, a 14.92 percent increase (after rounding) from the current fee of $1,225. This increase, which is done in accordance with the Immigration and Nationality Act, represents the percentage change in inflation since the fee was last increased in 2010 based on the Consumer Price Index for all Urban Consumers.
“Because premium processing fees have not been adjusted since 2010, our ability to improve the adjudications and service processes for all petitioners has been hindered as we’ve experienced significantly higher demand for immigration benefits. Ultimately, adjusting the premium processing fee will allow us to continue making necessary investments in staff and technology to administer various immigration benefit requests more effectively and efficiently,” said Chief Financial Officer Joseph Moore. “USCIS will continue adjudicating all petitions on a case-by-case basis to determine if they meet all standards required under applicable law, policies, and regulations.”
Premium processing is an optional service that is currently authorized for certain petitioners filing Forms I-129 or I-140. The system allows petitioners to request 15-day processing of certain employment-based immigration benefit requests if they pay an extra fee. The premium processing fee is paid in addition to the base filing fee and any other applicable fees, which cannot be waived.