Doctor, 80, given 18 months in prison for Medicare scheme

MIAMI - An 80-year-old doctor was sentenced to 18 months in prison for his part in a $7-million Medicare scam involving HIV patients, authorities said Tuesday.

Dr. Orestes Alvarez-Jacinto was also sentenced to seven months home confinement and three years supervised release. In addition, he must pay $90,000 in forfeiture and $5,116,366 in restitution, the U.S. Attorney's Office said in a statement.

Alvarez-Jacinto was medical director at Saint Jude Rehab Center from June to November 2003, the statement said. Saint Jude is a medical clinic that treats HIV patients.

Authorities said he authorized the use of a drug along with a mixture of vitamin supplements for HIV patients, even though he knew the patients did not need the drug and that it could actually harm them.

Medicare ended up paying about $5-million of those bills to Saint Jude Rehab Center.

His attorneys did not immediately return telephone messages left at their offices after hours or respond to e-mails.

[Last modified October 3, 2007, 01:30:30]