Thursday, April 16, 2026 3:44PM
FRESNO, Calif. (KFSN) — A Fresno doctor and a pharmaceutical sales representative from Clovis have been sentenced for a major healthcare fraud scheme.
Prosecutors say 52-year-old Felipe Ruiz was a podiatrist and owner of West Coast Podiatry Incorporated, where he allowed the sales rep to practice medicine.
Between 2021 and 2024, 53-year-old Jose Aguirre sold skin grafts to Ruiz and was allowed to apply those skin grafts to patients without supervision from a physician.
Ruiz and Aguirre submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare, Medicaid and Medi-Cal, saying Ruiz and other physicians had performed those procedures.
Over $3 million in false claims were submitted.
Both men have been sentenced to over five years in prison.
They also must forfeit nine properties they own and pay back millions of dollars.
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Related Topics
This type of fraud targets the supply chain and accounts payable departments of businesses.
- Invoice Manipulation: Criminals intercept a legitimate invoice between a supplier and a client and change the banking details to their own. The client pays the bill thinking they are paying their trusted vendor.
- Kickbacks and Bribery: A vendor secretly pays an employee of the purchasing company to ensure their bid is successful or to overlook inflated pricing.