MCALLEN, Texas – A McAllen doctor appeared in court Monday for his for his role in a $240 million health care fraud and international money laundering scheme.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said Jorge Zamora-Quezada, 61, falsely diagnosed patients, including the young, elderly and disabled, and performed excessive medical procedures to increase his income and fund his lavish lifestyle.
“Today’s indictment is the first step in holding Dr. Zamora-Quezada accountable for his allegedly egregious criminal conduct,” said Special Agent in Charge C.J. Porter of the U.S. Department of Health Human Services Office of Inspector General’s. “His patients trusted him and presumed his integrity; in return he allegedly engaged in a scheme of false diagnoses and bogus courses of treatment and doled out prescriptions for unnecessary and harmful medications, all for his personal financial gain and with no regard for patient well-being. HHS-OIG will always pursue criminals masquerading as legitimate physicians, weed them out and seek the harshest possible punishment, particularly when patient harm is a factor.”
Zamora-Quezada was charged in a seven-count indictment filed in the Southern District of Texas.
According to the indictment, Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators purchased private jets, luxury vehicles, clothing from high-end retailers such as Louis Vuitton and exclusive real estate from the money he received from his scheme. Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators allegedly obstructed investigations by creating false and fictitious patient records and concealed thousands of medical records from Medicare by stashing them in an unsecured barn in the Rio Grande Valley.
Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators laundered the money from their fraud scheme by investing in commercial and residential real estate in the U.S. and Mexico. He then rented out the properties to individuals.
The indictment seeks the forfeiture of Zamora-Quezada’s personal jet, Maserati and multiple residential and commercial properties in the U.S. and Mexico.
The FBI is seeking to identify potential victims of Zamora-Quezada and his co-conspirators. If you were a patient of Zamora-Quezada from January 2000 through May 2018 and believe you may have been affected by his or his co-conspirators alleged crimes, please contact the FBI at 1-833-432-4873, Option 8.
Zamora-Quezada has a detention hearing set for May 15.
