MIAMI--A federal jury has convicted four Floridians in a complex money-laundering scheme involving DME and prescription drugs, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida announced.

According to a statement from the U.S. Attorney's Office:

Carlos Gonzalez, 45, of Miami, and Isabel Guerra, 39, of Hialeah Gardens, owners of United Pharmacy Discount and Ocean Medical Supplies, along with employees Pura Medina, 37, or Hialeah Gardens, and Isabel Canepa, 40, of Hialeah, paid kickbacks to patient recruiters for bringing in Medicare-eligible patients, and to patients themselves for the use of their names, identification numbers and prescriptions for DME and drugs.

Once they had patient information, the defendants completed Medicare-required orthotics measurement forms without ever having measured the patient, forged the signatures of doctors on DME prescriptions and created fraudulent patient files containing manufactured and forged documents.

The defendants then attempted to launder the proceeds through a person they believed was a professional money launderer--but who in fact was a cooperating witness working for federal agents and recording all of their transactions. By the end of the conspiracy, Medicare had paid the defendants $10 million.

The jury ordered forfeiture of that amount, as well as houses, boats, motorcycles and bank accounts. The investigation involved agents from the FBI and HHS.