DeCéspedes, Carlos & Jorge - Pharmed founders s...

Pharmed founders sentenced in fraud case

South Florida Business Journal

Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Despite pleas from the community, family and friends for leniency, Carlos and Jorge de Céspedes – brothers and majority shareholders of the Pharmed Group – were sentenced Wednesday in Miami federal court to nine years in prison for their role in a health care fraud and tax evasion case.

U.S. District Court Judge Patricia Seitz went with the upper limit of sentencing guidelines.

In addition, they were ordered to pay $6.9 million in restitution.

Others charged in the case received lesser sentences.

Sylvia Oramas was sentenced to six years, Erika Urquiza to five years, Victor Garcia to five years and three months, and Joanna Delfel to two-and-a-half years.

All were also ordered to pay various amounts in restitution.

The group was involved in a purchase order scheme, which resulted in Kendall Regional Medical Center losing some $5 million in supplies that were never delivered.

In September, the brothers admitted to the fraud, which they said started as early as 1993.

Jorge de Céspedes admitted paying Oramas, a former hospital employee, in exchange for various medical supplies that were diverted from Kendall Regional’s warehouse. He also said that, in the late 1990s, Oramas generated phony purchase orders for Pharmed medical supplies.

The scheme, the brothers admitted, grew over the years to include the other defendants.

The de Céspedeses were also sentenced for their participation in a tax evasion scheme in which they admitted underreporting their income.

http://www.bizjournals.com/southflorida/stories/2009/01/05/daily31.html