Buckeye Reporter

A former doctor from Columbus, Ohio, has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for fraudulently billing Medicaid $1.5 million. This was announced by Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost.

“This ex-physician went from healing to stealing and earned himself a stiff dose of justice,” Yost stated. “Great work by our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit to hold him accountable.”

Robert Florea, 49, was convicted in October 2024 on one count of Medicaid fraud, a third-degree felony. His clinic, Buckeye Health and Research, was also found guilty of the same charge.

In addition to the prison sentence, both Florea and his clinic are required to pay $1.5 million in restitution and court costs. The clinic is no longer operational.

Investigations conducted by Yost’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit revealed that Florea billed the Ohio Department of Medicaid for medical equipment he never purchased. This included braces for joints and back pain. Over a three-year period, Florea claimed reimbursement for more than 5,100 pieces of equipment but records indicated he only bought 460 items. The fraudulent activities resulted in a $1.5 million loss to the Medicaid program.

Florea surrendered his medical license permanently at the beginning of this year.

The case was prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Section of the Attorney General’s Office in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a grant totaling $15,343,488 for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25%, amounting to $5,114,493 for FY 2025, is funded by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.