Aenlle faces a maximum of 40 years in prison. His sentencing is scheduled for Dec. 13, 2007.
Aenlle owned and operated Direct Nursing Assistance Inc. from October of 2001 through June of 2006. The jury heard testimony that Aenlle paid cash kickbacks to patients and physicians as part of his scheme to defraud Medicare. While Aenlle was president of Direct Nursing Assistance, the company submitted claims to Medicare for $1 million.
Evidence at trial established that Aenlle had prescription pads printed, and forged the names and signatures of physicians.
According to court documents Aenlle had 130 paid patients at Direct Nursing who received services and drugs that they did not need. Many of the phony prescriptions were for non-commercially available aerosol medications so that they could be illegally "compounded." Compounding is the process of a pharmacist making medication as opposed to a pharmaceutical manufacturer.
According to prosecutors Aenlle then conspired with the owners of Unimed Pharmacy to refer paid patients to the pharmacy in exchange for half of what Medicare paid for compounded aerosols. One of the patients testified during trial that Aenlle paid her $150 per month to use her Medicare card and to obtain phony prescriptions in her name. The pharmacy then fraudulently billed Medicare more than $200,000 using the phony prescriptions that Aenlle obtained. In exchange, Aenlle received kickbacks of over $100,000.
Carlos Carrion Aenlle's partner at Direct Nursing Assistance is no stranger to Medicare fraud, he was convicted of the crime last month as well.
In 2006, the Medicare program paid for over $155 million worth of aerosol medications in Miami-Dade County alone. These drugs were the single most common item billed to Medicare Part B. From 2005 to 2006, claims for aerosol medications rose over 100 percent in Miami-Dade County.
