Harlingen couple sentenced in $14 million Medicare fraud scheme
Brownsville, TX (KRGV) — A Harlingen couple were sentenced for a Medicare fraud case that billed about $14 million for wheelchair parts and repairs, according to a news release from the office of U.S. Attorney Aaron Reitz.
The release said Jeremiah Yzaguirre, 47, was sentenced to more than nine years in prison and Maria Luisa Yzaguirre, 47, to more than six years.
The couple were also ordered to serve three years of supervised release and pay $9 million in restitution to Medicare and a $25,000 fine.
RELATED STORY: Harlingen couple plead guilty in multi-million dollar Medicare fraud scheme
The Yzaguirres ran Southwest Medical Homepatient in Harlingen. Medicare enrolled the business as a provider of durable medical equipment and services, including parts and repairs for power wheelchairs.
Between 2019 and 2023, the Yzaguirres billed Medicare about $14 million for power wheelchairs, parts and repairs for only 37 Medicare beneficiaries. In multiple cases, they billed Medicare for hundreds of parts and repairs for one beneficiary's wheelchair.
When they pleaded guilty on April 22, 2025, both admitted they collected money for parts and repairs that were never performed or provided. They also admitted they billed Medicare about $736,072 for one beneficiary by falsely claiming they replaced expensive parts hundreds of times.
Investigators found the Yzaguirres used money from the fraud to buy cryptocurrency, a vehicle, electronics, collectibles and purses.
Both will remain in custody pending transfer to a Federal Bureau of Prisons facility.