There’s a bizarre story in The Daily Beast about a Miami-based fraudster who allegedly stole about $296 million less from Medicare than did Florida Senator Rick Scott:
A Florida man pending trial for allegedly submitting more than $4 million in fraudulent health-care claims was detained on a jet ski as he tried to vamoose to Cuba, authorities said Tuesday.
Ernesto Cruz Graveran, a 54-year-old Cuban citizen, owned Xiko Enterprises, Inc., a company based in Hialeah that provided equipment to Medicare beneficiaries, according to a criminal complaint filed in federal court in Florida.
As a result of claims for medical equipment he never provided, Graveran received a payout of $2.1 million over just two months in 2022, the feds say.
The article says the jet ski had lots of food and water aboard and “special fuel meant for extended trips,” which I’d like to learn more about. But here’s where it gets weird: Graveran had a passenger, a fellow crook whom the DoJ alleges smuggles immigrants across the border.
Ever been on a jet ski? I have, and I’m trying to imagine riding one across 90 miles of open water…with a passenger. The mind reels.
Anyhoo, open thread.
Gouging!