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A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Florida has returned an indictment charging a New York physician in a multimillion-dollar Medicare fraud case. The allegations are plain and ugly: prescriptions signed without real exams, telemedicine consultations billed that never happened, and pricey orthotic braces pushed on seniors who didn’t want or need them. If true, this is theft dressed up in a white coat.
Indictment in Southern District of Florida: What’s charged
The indictment names Dr. Edgard Salazar and accuses him of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud after allegedly submitting more than $6.8 million in false Medicare claims. Prosecutors say Salazar signed pre-filled prescriptions for orthotic braces through the TelevisitMD platform, often without examining patients or even speaking with them. The government says beneficiaries told him they did not want or need the braces, yet the prescriptions went out anyway. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Owen Dunn of the Justice Department’s Fraud Division, with the FBI Miami Field Office and HHS‑OIG leading the investigation.
How the TelevisitMD scheme allegedly worked
According to prosecutors, TelevisitMD provided the highway for these fraudulent claims. The telemedicine company allegedly let staff prepare prescriptions and bill Medicare while doctors signed them without meaningful contact with patients. Christopher Harwood, the TelevisitMD operator, already pleaded guilty and was sentenced to a lengthy federal prison term after the scheme generated tens of millions in false claims. The indictment ties Dr. Salazar’s conduct to that same operation, saying Medicare paid out millions for consultations and expensive orthotic devices that were often unnecessary.
Enforcement, penalties, and the broader fraud problem
The Justice Department framed the indictment as part of a wider push to stop telemedicine and DME (durable medical equipment) fraud. Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald, Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles, and Acting Deputy Inspector General Miranda Bennett are among officials announcing the case. The Health Care Fraud Strike Force and the newly created Fraud Division have been hunting schemes like this that prey on Medicare. An indictment is only an allegation, but each health-care-fraud count here carries a possible decade in prison — and the earlier guilty pleas and long sentences show the feds are treating these crimes seriously.
Why conservatives should care — and what comes next
This is about more than bad actors; it’s about weak systems that let scammers feed on taxpayers and seniors. Conservatives should cheer strong enforcement, but we should also demand reforms that stop fraud before it happens: tighter rules for telemedicine billing, tougher oversight of DME suppliers, and real penalties for companies that gamify Medicare payments. The American people pay for these benefits. If bureaucratic loopholes and lazy oversight let thieves turn Medicare into a cash pump, expect conservatives to push for accountability — and for lawmakers to close the doors that let schemes like TelevisitMD thrive.
