Justice Department Secures Denaturalization of Health Care Fraudster

On Nov. 17, the Justice Department secured the denaturalization of Marieva Briceno, who defrauded more than $5.4 million from Medicare and then obtained U.S. citizenship by concealing her crimes from immigration officials.

A native of Venezuela, Briceno owned three purported medical clinics in the Detroit, Michigan, area that paid individuals on Medicare to undergo unnecessary tests and procedures. From May 2007 to January 2010, Briceno and her co-conspirators submitted approximately $5,460,323 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for those medically unnecessary services. Ultimately, Medicare paid $2,998,321.94 on those fraudulent claims, with Briceno personally receiving approximately $513,200 in fraudulent payouts.

“The denaturalization of Marieva Briceno shows that if you steal from the programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens, you will be found out, prosecuted, and suffer the consequences of your actions, up to and including the loss of your U.S. citizenship,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.

“American citizenship is a privilege built on honesty and respect for our laws. You cannot defraud Medicare, conceal your crimes, and expect to secure the benefits of citizenship,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Fraud against programs that serve our most vulnerable citizens and lies told to obtain naturalization undermine the integrity of both our healthcare system and our immigration process. Our Office will continue to protect taxpayer dollars, defend the rule of law, and ensure that U.S. citizenship is reserved for those who earn it lawfully.”

On Dec. 21, 2009, Briceno applied for U.S. citizenship. On both her citizenship application and while under oath during an interview with immigration officials, Briceno concealed her health care fraud and denied ever committing a crime for which she had not been arrested. Briceno’s misrepresentations allowed her to illegally procure her U.S. citizenship on March 19, 2010.

On Sept. 12, 2011, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Florida charged Briceno with health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347, and conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. On March 14, 2012, Briceno pleaded guilty to the latter count, and was sentenced to 60 months in prison.

On Aug. 12, the Justice Department filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida seeking Briceno’s denaturalization based on her criminal conspiracy and her failure to disclose it during her naturalization process. On Nov. 17, the Honorable Darrin Gayles, U.S. District Judge, entered an order revoking Briceno’s U.S. citizenship.

This case was prosecuted by Deputy Chief Hans H. Chen of the Justice Department’s Office of Immigration Litigation, General Litigation and Appeals Section, Affirmative Litigation Unit, with assistance from HSI, ICE’s Office of the Principal Legal Advisor, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew J. Feeley for the Southern District of Florida.