Harlingen Pair In Federal Custody In Medical Equipment Fraud Scheme

Story by TIM SULLIVAN

The owners of a durable medical equipment company in Harlingen are in federal custody, facing charges in an alleged multi-million dollar Medicare fraud scheme.

Authorities Wednesday arrested 43-year-old Maria Luisa Yzaguirre, a little more than a week after the arrest of 44-year-old Jeremiah Yzaguirre.

In one of the more blatant cases of apparent health care fraud in the Valley, the pair are accused of billing Medicare more than $1 million in parts and repairs for power wheelchairs for two Medicare patients.

The federal indictment says the billings were among a total of $14 million in fraudulent claims the Yzaguirres submitted to Medicare. Prosecutors say the two spent the ill-gotten money on luxury items as well as real estate, stocks, and cryptocurrency.