A federal grand jury has indicted two individuals, Felipe Ruiz, 51, from Fresno, and Jose Gabriel Aguirre, 52, from Clovis, on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, according to Acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith.
Felipe Ruiz, a podiatrist at West Coast Podiatry Inc., and Jose Gabriel Aguirre, a sales representative for companies selling skin grafts, face charges related to false claims submitted to Medicare and Medi-Cal. The allegations involve skin grafts provided to beneficiaries between June 2021 and January 2024.
Court documents indicate that Aguirre, despite not being a licensed health care provider, applied skin grafts to Medicare and Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the absence of Ruiz. Beneficiaries referred to Aguirre as “Dr. Gabe” even though he was not a doctor. Claims submitted to Medicare and Medi-Cal falsely stated that Ruiz administered the grafts. This resulted in payments of millions of dollars, which Ruiz and Aguirre allegedly used for personal expenditures.
The case stems from an investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter prosecuting.
If convicted, the defendants face potential penalties of up to 10 years in prison and a fine of $250,000. Sentencing will depend on statutory factors and Federal Sentencing Guidelines. Both individuals are considered innocent until proven guilty.