CHICAGO
Officials stated that a federal jury convicted a licensed Illinois psychologist of defrauding Medicare over several years.
Renato F. Duarte submitted fraudulent claims for psychotherapy services he never provided.
According to court documents and evidence presented at trial, Duarte, 63, of Chicago, submitted fraudulent Medicare claims from July 2016 through June 2019 for psychotherapy services.
These services were provided to nursing home patients in Chicago and surrounding areas.
Duarte’s scheme included fraudulently billing for in-person services on dates that Duarte was traveling outside the country. He also fraudulently billed for psychotherapy to deceased patients.
Duarte was convicted of four counts of healthcare fraud. He is scheduled to be sentenced on April 18. He faces up to 10 years in prison on each count.
The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Chicago Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Illinois.
Trial Attorneys Steven Scott and Thomas D. Campbell of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat healthcare fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program.
Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion.
In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in healthcare fraud schemes.