Operator of McAllen Area DME Company Sentenced for Health Care Fraud

McALLEN, Texas ‐ The owner of a durable medical equipment (DME) company has been ordered to federal prison for defrauding Medicaid of more than $3 million, announced U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick. Anna Ramirez-Ambriz, 57, of McAllen, pleaded guilty March 31, 2017.

Today, U.S. District Judge Randy Crane handed Ramirez-Ambriz a 78-month sentence to be immediately followed by three years of supervised release. She was further ordered to pay more than $3 million in restitution to the Texas Medicaid Program.

Ramirez-Ambriz owned Compassionate Medical Supply located in Edinburg.  From 2007 through 2013, Ramirez-Ambriz billed Texas Medicaid for higher quantities and more costly incontinence supplies than were actually delivered to more than 100 Texas Medicaid recipients. Compassionate employees were instructed to provide recipients with fewer and less expensive incontinence supplies than Ramirez-Ambriz billed to Texas Medicaid. As part of her plea, Ramirez-Ambriz admitted she submitted false and fraudulent claims to Texas Medicaid.

As a result of her scheme, Ramirz-Ambriz further admitted that Texas Medicaid suffered a loss of $3,143,149.41.

Ramirez-Ambriz was permitted to remain on bond and voluntarily surrender to a U.S. Bureau of Prisons facility to be determined in the near future.

The Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services‐Office of Inspector General conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Andrew Swartz and Michael Day are prosecuting the case.