‘This is not a victimless crime:’ 20 arrested for $5 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Jacksonville

JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — A local Medicaid fraud investigation led to the arrest of 20 people accused of helping a Jacksonville company bill the government more than $5 million in fraudulent claims.

Jose Enrique Hernandez Fernandez was charged with Medicaid fraud after the Florida Attorney General’s Office said he used his non-emergency medical transportation company to defraud Medicaid.

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According to a police report, the suspect was operating Sweet Transportation out of a home on Annette Circle in Sans Souci.

“Officers approached the house. Went around the back of the house, and it was just a very interesting scenario to see down the road,” neighbor Stacey Willis said. “If you’re going to have that kind of a business, would you really park your business vehicles on your property? In my opinion, I walked by, and thought ‘I’m not really sure about all that.’”

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Twenty total drivers were also arrested for an organized scheme to defraud. The AG’s office said Sweet Transportation overstated mileage for reimbursement and billed trips that were never taken.

“This is not a victimless crime — fraudulent financial acts such as this scheme harm taxpayers and patients alike,” State Attorney Melissa Nelson said.

According to a police report, Medicaid recipients were dropped at vacant addresses in White Springs, FL. Drivers allegedly went miles away from the address, outside the rider’s county, even outside Florida and the continental United States.

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Hernandez Fernandez signed an agreement to subcontract for Modivcare in 2020 with only two drivers. By 2022, he had 30. Investigators said after all the miles were compiled, it would have totaled 450 miles per day, per driver, every day of the year including holidays.

Action News Jax went to the address listed on the report, but no one answered the door.

In a statement, Modivcare said it “has fully cooperated with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) through the entirety of this investigation.”

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