A Middletown man, Ramon Apellaniz, also known as "Kristopher Rockefeller" and "Kris," has pleaded guilty to a health care fraud offense in connection with a scheme that defrauded Connecticut's Medicaid program of over $1.8 million. The announcement was made by David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut.
Apellaniz, who previously operated The Gemini Project, LLC in Newington without a valid license, had been charged in 2020 with larceny, health care fraud, and identity theft offenses. These charges were related to providing services to Medicaid beneficiaries as an unlicensed provider and billing Medicaid for those services or services not rendered at all. As a result of these false claims, Medicaid paid Apellaniz and his company $909,268. He pleaded nolo contendere and was sentenced to eight years in prison in April 2024 but was released after serving 15 months.
In collaboration with Suhail Aponte, principal of Minds Cornerstone LLC, Apellaniz continued fraudulent activities under the guise of Minds Cornerstone Behavior Therapy Services from November 2021. They submitted fraudulent claims for applied behavior analysis services purportedly provided to children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The investigation found discrepancies such as billing for non-rendered services and using funds received from these claims for personal restitution payments.
Between November 2021 and January 2025, the fraudulent activities resulted in a loss of approximately $1,876,617 to the Connecticut Department of Social Services.
Both Apellaniz and Aponte have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Apellaniz is scheduled for sentencing on August 15 and faces up to ten years imprisonment. Aponte awaits sentencing after pleading guilty on April 30.
As part of their plea agreements, they have agreed to forfeit around $469,000 seized during the investigation along with interests in additional bank accounts and two parcels of land in Hartford.
The investigation involved multiple agencies including the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit among others. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang is prosecuting the case.