Pols Learn to Play Ball

100 PERCENT

By Robert Press

Pols Learn to Play Ball

Play Ball was the cry not once, but twice at this year's Bronx Democratic County Barbecue, Baseball Games, and Family Day held at the Castle Hill Little League Field. It was Assembly Speaker's team called Heastie's Hitters against Bronx Democratic County Leader Marcos Crespo's team called Crespo's Crusaders in game one. Heastie's Hitters took an early 3 – 0 lead, but Crespo's Crusaders tied it up and won in extra innings. Even though his team lost Assembly Speaker Carl Heastie was the MVP of the game, gobbling up everything that came his way, and getting on base twice. 

Game two featured Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.'s BP Bombers against another team of players put together by County Leader Crespo called Crespo's 2^nd Crusaders. In this game Assembly Speaker Heastie went to Crespo's team, but he was again on the loosing side as the game was all but over by the bottom of the first inning when BP Diaz's Bombers scored 9 runs in the top of the first inning. The game ended shortly afterward with the score of 9 – 2 for the BP Bombers. 

There was lots of food, people, and very few speeches this year (since almost all of the elected officials were too tired from the baseball games to talk) which made this one of the best Bronx Democratic County events in a while. Just about every elected official from the Bronx and even City Comptroller Scott Stringer was on hand to have some fun. You can go to my blog at www.100percentbronx.blogspot.com to see the many photos of the games, the celebration by Crespo's Crusaders after game one, and the elected officials. Some notes from the games- Congressman Jose Serrano was the catcher for Heastie's Hitters, and after the game he said he now has more respect for those who catch baseball games, and that he was going home to rest up and be ready for the next session of Congress. 

Former 80^th A.D. Assemblywoman Naomi Rivera was on hand to talk to the new Executive Director of the county organization Anthony Perez. It seems that Ms. Rivera is now back in the Bronx, and is now residing in the 78^th A.D. according to her daddy Assemblyman Jose Rivera. Could it be that this year Jose will decide not to run so his daughter Naomi could try to return to the state assembly in his position? It seemed that another possible female contender for Assemblyman Rivera's seat was at the even looking as lovely as ever with her long blonde hair, and also at the event was Assemblyman Rivera's challenger in 2012. It could be a fun race in the 78^th Assembly District next year, and I am not going to say that Assemblyman Rivera is going to retire so his daughter Naomi can run for his seat. We will have to wait and see if Jose has had enough of what is going on in Albany now. 

Speaking of running, the rumor is that current Vice-President Joe Biden will announce that he is running for President next year. One has to wonder if the current front runner Hillary Clinton is in trouble as her poll numbers could be much better, or is it the fact that you can say one thing to reporters' questions, but you can not lie to the federal authorities that may soon be taking up the question of her e-mails and what went on. I don't expect to hear those famous words that ex-President Richard Nixon uttered as he was being investigated, but you can only go so far Ms. Ex-First Lady. 

As it goes on Donald Trump is looking more like a giant snowball rolling down a freshly snowed mountain as his momentum gets larger every day the campaign goes on. People across the country are liking what Trump has to say, because he can say the truth that others are afraid to say. If this continues Trump will, I repeat will be the next president of the United States. 

The Bronx Chamber of Commerce is hosting a Job Fair on Wednesday September 9^th at the Hutch Metro Center conference room beginning at 4 PM. You can call the BCC at 718-828-3900 for more information, or if you are an employer looking for help email the BCC Executive Director Michelle Dolgow Christofaro at Michelle@bronxchamber.org Also coming up in September from the BCC is the annual BCC Hispanic Heritage Cocktail Reception on Thursday September 17^th At Scavello's Restaurant located at 101 City Island Avenue, beginning at 5:30 PM. Check my blog for more details in the archive section on the left under the heading BCC 2015 Hispanic Heritage or call the BCC at 718-828-3900 or visit the BCC website at www.bronxchamber.org

Lastly, check my blog for the latest listing of registered sex offenders living within 1,000 feet of 

UPK program affiliated with a public school from State Senator Jeff Klein.

If you have any political information that you want to share or have checked out, any comments about this column, or would like to have an event listed or covered in this column or on my blog you can e-mail us at 100percentbronxnews@gmail.com or call 718-644-4199 Mr. Robert Press.

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BRONX, NEW YORK (BRONX NEWS)- A man was convicted of running fraudulent Bronx Medicaid mills that bilked the government out of $30 million and give HIV patients watered down meds.

Preet Bharara, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, announced that Oscar Huachillo, the former owner and operator of multiple HIV/AIDS clinics in New York City, was sentenced in Manhattan federal court to 87 months in prison for orchestrating a scheme to defraud Medicare out of more than $31 million; he was also sentenced to 60 months in prison, to be served concurrently, for evading more than $3.4 million in federal income taxes by falsely underreporting his income. 

As part of the scheme, Huachillo submitted bills to Medicare for expensive treatments that were administered at highly diluted doses or never administered at all, and were often unnecessary. Huachillo previously pled guilty to conspiring to commit health care fraud and committing tax evasion before U.S. District Judge Katherine Polk Failla, who imposed today’s sentence.

Manhattan U.S. Attorney Preet Bharara said: “Oscar Huachillo defrauded Medicare out of tens of millions of dollars and evaded millions of dollars in taxes on his illegal windfall. His schemes put patients at risk, undermined and exploited the Medicare program, and cheated honest taxpayers.”

According to the criminal complaint, superseding information, and other documents filed in Manhattan federal court, as well as statements made at related court proceedings:

Huachillo set up and operated multiple health care clinics in New York City that purported to provide injection and infusion treatments to Medicare-eligible HIV/AIDS patients, but that were, in reality, health care fraud mills (the “Clinics”) that routinely billed Medicare for medications that were never provided or were provided at highly diluted doses, and that were often unnecessary because the person being “treated” did not medically need the treatments.

Huachillo and his co-conspirators executed the fraudulent scheme by recruiting HIV/AIDS patients who were eligible for Medicare to come to the clinics multiple times per week, for multiple months, to undergo expensive “treatments” that were often unnecessary. The purported treatments included drugs costing hundreds of dollars each to administer and typically reserved for cancer and anemia patients. Huachillo and his co-conspirators paid the patients cash kickbacks of up to $300 per week in exchange for coming to the clinics and agreeing to undergo the treatments. Patients were also offered approximately $50 for each additional patient they referred to the clinics. Huachillo and his co-conspirators then used these patients’ status as Medicare beneficiaries to submit claims to Medicare for reimbursement for the treatments purportedly administered to the patients, often receiving tens of thousands of dollars in reimbursements per patient. As a result of the scheme, from 2009 through 2013, Huachillo and his co-conspirators defrauded the Medicare system out of at least $31 million.

In addition, Huachillo willfully evaded over $3.4 million in taxes owed to the IRS during the tax years 2009 through 2011 by falsely underreporting his taxable income, including income he had obtained through fraudulent Medicare claims.

In pronouncing the sentence, Judge Failla said, “[I]n the cases I’ve had as a judge, this is the worst fraud I’ve had. $31 million in losses; that’s terrible.” She also said, “The conduct is simply reprehensible.”

In addition to the term of prison, Huachillo, 55, of Manhattan, was sentenced to three years of supervised release and was ordered to pay $3,454,244.16 in restitution and $31,177,987.84 in forfeiture, including forfeiture of approximately $14 million of assets that were seized at or around the time of Huachillo arrest in August 2013.

George Juvier, 58, of Manhattan, has been charged separately in connection with the Medicare fraud scheme. In January 2015, Juvier pled guilty to engaging in a health care fraud conspiracy before U.S. Magistrate Judge Frank Maas. Juvier is scheduled to be sentenced at 11:00 a.m. on October 8, 2015, by U.S. District Judge Kimba M. Wood.

Mr. Bharara praised the outstanding efforts of the Department of Health and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General, IRS-Criminal Investigation Division, and the Federal Bureau of Investigation in the investigation. Mr. Bharara also thanked the U.S. Department of Justice’s Tax Division for their assistance in the investigation.

This case is being handled by the Office’s Complex Frauds and Cybercrime Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan Cohen is in charge of the prosecution.

#Medicaid #Fraud #MedicaidMills #HIV #FBI