MIAMI — Three South Florida men were sentenced to federal prison for running fraudulent medical equipment companies that billed Medicare for $6.9 million in bogus claims and laundered more than $2.2 million in proceeds through shell companies, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida announced.
Jose Mendez, 34, of Coral Springs received the stiffest sentence at 78 months. Marco Scamarone, 34, of Tamarac was sentenced to 70 months, and Renee Vazquez, 33, also of Tamarac, received 60 months. All three pleaded guilty in December 2025 to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
“These defendants stole from Medicare, laundered the proceeds through shell companies, and used fraudulent medical equipment businesses to enrich themselves at taxpayer expense,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Medicare exists to serve seniors and vulnerable patients, not to fund kickbacks, shell companies, and criminal profit.”
According to court documents, the three men owned and operated two fraudulent durable medical equipment companies — Braces and Orthotics LLC, located in the Eastern District of Virginia, and Stone Oak Durable Medical Equipment LLC in the Southern District of Florida. Between January 2022 and February 2023, the companies submitted approximately $6.9 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for orthotic braces that were medically unnecessary and ineligible for reimbursement. The conspiracy involved illegal kickbacks and bribes paid to an offshore marketing company in exchange for beneficiary referrals and fraudulent doctors’ orders.
“Fraud does not pay, and defendants do not get to keep the proceeds of their crimes,” Reding Quiñones said. At sentencing, Scamarone and Mendez were ordered to pay $2,217,840.35 in forfeiture and $3,016,324.20 in restitution. Vazquez was ordered to pay $1,723,773.18 in forfeiture and $2,249,392.09 in restitution.
The case was investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General, under Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott Lampert; the FBI Miami Office, under Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles; and the U.S. Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General, under Inspector General Anthony P. D’Esposito. Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander Pogozelski and Trial Attorney Claire Horrell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division also participated in the announcement.
The sentencing follows the Department of Justice’s creation of its Fraud Division, announced April 7, which supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance. The Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which handled the prosecution, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion since March 2007. Related court documents are available under case number 25-cr-60148 in the Southern District of Florida.