Hialeah Councilwoman arrested for multimillion dollar healthcare fraud

The Ruby Rutnik Scholarship Fund has announced that two recent graduates of the Gifft Hill School have won scholarships for the 2024-25 school year.

Hialeah Councilwoman Angelica Pacheco turned herself into the FBI last Thursday following an indictment on healthcare fraud charges. Pacheco is accused of billing private insurers millions of dollars for services at her addiction treatment center, Florida Life Recovery and Rehabilitation LLC.

According to a grand jury indictment, Pacheco’s business allegedly submitted $19.1 million in fraudulent bills to multiple insurance companies, including Aetna, from July 2017 to August 2020. The business, which ceased operations in 2022, was registered by her husband, Daniel Pacheco, who has not been charged.

The indictment also charges Pacheco with defrauding the U.S. government by filing false business loan applications during the COVID-19 pandemic. She is accused of falsely claiming her business was not engaged in illegal activities when applying for loans. Four companies owned by the Pacheco family reportedly received over $500,000 in federal Paycheck Protection Program and other pandemic loans. Pacheco has stated these funds were used to pay employees and sustain the businesses.