Pharmed Cuban Millionaires will face Federal Charges in Miami!
By JOHN DORSCHNER
Carlos and Jorge de Céspedes are accused of bilking Kendall Regional Medical Center out of several million dollars and hiding about $21 million in income.
Carlos and Jorge de Céspedes, founders of Pharmed, once one of the largest Hispanic owned businesses in the country, were charged Tuesday in federal court with healthcare-related wire fraud and income tax evasion.
They’re accused of bilking Kendall Regional Medical Center out of several million dollars in a complex kickback scheme and hiding about $21 million in income in a completely unrelated case, meaning they evaded about $8 million in taxes.
They face up to 25 years in prison.
Federal prosecuters filed the charges in an information, which is usually an indication that the defendants will eventually plead guilty. It is also a possible sign that the defendants might be willing to cooperate in any related investigations, but the U.S. attorney’s office refused to say whether that applied in these cases.
In a Tuesday afternoon court appearance, the brothers pleaded not guilty, and a federal magistrate ordered their release on $250,000 personal surety bonds.
Their attorneys, Alan Ross and Dennis Kainen, dodged questions about how the brothers ultimately would resolve the case. ”Carlos and Jorge, who are both honorable and charitable men, will be resolving these charges with the same commitment and enthusiasm” they have shown in this community for many years, the attorneys said in a joint statement.
”These individuals had it all — success, money and the admiration of their community,” U.S. Attorney R. Alexander Acosta said in a prepared statement. “But they tarnished their good names and reputations because they wanted even more than they already had, and they wanted it the quick and easy way. As this case shows, the quick and easy way usually leads to jail.”
Read Full Story at The Miami Herald.
