Update to a January 24, 2023, story: Gabriella Santibanez and Lisa Hazard were sentenced to 15 months in prison and ordered to pay over $7.5 million in restitution for health care fraud. Read a Department of Justice press release.
Gabriella Santibanez and Lisa Hazard pleaded guilty to conspiring to commit over $7 million in health care fraud. Court documents show that they ran a mobile phlebotomy company, PhlebXpress Inc., that provided phlebotomy and other medical collection services at patients’ homes and long-term care facilities. They agreed to bill Medicare for services provided that were not reimbursable by Medicare. They also agreed to bill Medicare for overstated mileage that PhlebXpress phlebotomists traveled. On average, they caused false billing to Medicare of over 140 miles for each patient. Read a Department of Justice press release.