Florida man accused of $4.2 million Medicare fraud caught jet skiing to Cuba

A Hialeah resident charged with submitting more than $4 million in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare tried to evade justice by escaping authorities on a jet ski bound for Cuba, Local 10 reports.

The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Florida said Ernesto Cruz Graveran, 54, was arrested while en route to Cuba from Key West on a jet ski. Reports indicated investigators learned that Cruz Graveran was planning to fly to Cuba and  confiscated his passport just days before his nautical adventure. 

U.S. authorities have claimed that Cruz Graveran was the short-term owner Xiko Enterprises, Inc. a long-lasting Florida medical equipment company, which was eligible for Medicare benefits. Reports indicate Cruz Graveran was paid by an associate to put his name on company documents and make transactions on behalf of the business enterprise. 

According to authorities, Cruz Graveran, submitted health care bills through the company for $4.2 million in equipment that the enterprise did not send to anyone nor anyone ordered. Of that, Medicare paid about $2.1 million.

Of the fraudulent claims, 145 claims for nearly $1 million were made on behalf of patients of the same doctor, who never prescribed any of the billed items.

The U.S. Coast Guard and Customs and Border Protection located Cruz Graveran on after his jet ski broke down midway to the communist island. Upon inspection, investigators learned that the water adventurer had used a special fuel cell for the watercraft, which was also packed with water bottles.  

Cruz Graveran has since been ordered to remain in custody pending trial by a Miami-based federal judge.