On Thursday, Hialeah councilwoman Angelica Pacheco was indicted on health care fraud charges and surrendered to the FBI. She had been elected in November and is accused of falsely billing private insurers for services at her addiction treatment center, Florida Life Recovery and Rehabilitation. The center is no longer in operation.
According to the grand jury indictment, the business submitted over $19 million in false claims to insurance companies over a three-year period. Pacheco’s office released a statement proclaiming her innocence and accused the mayor of being behind the accusations, claiming the mayor was trying to get rid of her due to a plan in motion.
In response to the charges, Hialeah Mayor Esteban Bovo stated that it was an unfortunate day for residents and clarified that the accusations against Pacheco are not related to her role in the city. He called for the federal authorities to continue their investigation against Pacheco, while emphasizing that the charges do not involve her capacity as an elected official for the City of Hialeah. Governor Ron DeSantis had suspended other elected officials facing charges and it is implied he may do the same with Pacheco.
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