Nursing assistant sentenced to nine years for orthotic brace scheme
By HME News Staff
Updated 11:53 AM CDT, Thu April 16, 2026
POMPANO BEACH, Fla. – Christian “Chris” Cruz, a nursing assistant from Pompano Beach, Fla., was sentenced to nine years in prison for his role in an $11.4 million health care fraud and wire fraud conspiracy for providing Medicare beneficiaries with unneeded orthotic braces, according to the Department of Justice (DOJ). Cruz owned and operated a durable medical equipment (DME) supplier based in Florida and submitted millions of dollars in false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary orthotic braces. He and his co-conspirator paid illegal kickbacks and bribes to obtain signed doctor orders. They used these orders to ship orthotic braces to Medicare beneficiaries nationwide and then claim payment from Medicare, including to beneficiaries who neither requested nor needed the braces. Cruz also claimed that he was the sole owner and operator of the company, when in fact he shared ownership in the company with his co-conspirator, a convicted felon. Medicare would not have allowed the company to enroll with Medicare if it had known about Cruz’s co-conspirator. The co-conspirator has been charged but remains at large. Cruz was also ordered to pay $3,712,345.70 in restitution and $724,871 in forfeiture. FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case.
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