Fil-Am nurse charged in massive health care fraud in Texas

National

A FILIPINO-AMERICAN was implicated in a large-scale health care fraud scheme victimizing elderly patients, including those with terminal illnesses.

A native of Tuguerarao, Cagayan and currently a resident of Las Vegas, Nevada, Marizel Cambri Yukee was indicted in Houston, Texas on June 18 for allegedly orchestrating a health care fraud scheme that involved more than P51 billion worth of fraudulent claims filed against government-funded health insurance programs.

Prosecutors alleged that Yukee and her co-conspirators filed fraudulent reimbursement claims totaling $906 million with Medicare and TRICARE between October 2023 and April 2026, a report by Philstar said.

The two programs reportedly disbursed more than $297 million in payments as a result.

She allegedly used the proceeds to fund a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of several high-end vehicles such as a $594,000 Ferrari 296 GTS and a $158,000 Cadillac Escalade, an `$865,000 Bulgari necklace, a million-dollar home in Hawaii, and the construction of a $4.6 million beach resort in Sta. Ana, Cagayan.

Authorities are now seeking the forfeiture of the properties, vehicles, and financial assets linked to the alleged scheme.

Yukee and her accomplices also allegedly paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to induce healthcare providers, as well as owners, officers, employees, and agents of medical entities, to refer Medicare and TRICARE beneficiaries to her clinics.

A nurse practitioner licensed in Nevada and an enrolled Medicare provider, Yukee owned and controlled several clinics—Wound Medic, My BestHealth First, AllCare Mobile Wound Treatment, and Oracle Wound Treatment, collectively known as the “Yukee clinics.”

Court documents filed in Houston state that the alleged scheme aimed to unlawfully enrich Yukee and her co-conspirators by submitting, and causing the submission of, false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and TRICARE for items and services that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for reimbursement, and obtained through illegal kickbacks.(Jhenevive Etang, PIT Comm Intern)