E. Martin Estrada United States Attorney for the Central District of California | U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California staff
A patient intake coordinator from an addiction treatment facility in Orange County has been arrested following a federal grand jury indictment. Luis Guerrero, 53, of Santa Ana, is accused of conspiring to pay $37,000 in illegal kickbacks to "body brokers" for patient referrals.
Guerrero was taken into custody this morning and is scheduled for arraignment in the United States District Court in Santa Ana. He faces one count of conspiracy and three counts related to offering or paying illegal remunerations for referrals to the clinical treatment facility where he worked.
The indictment returned by a grand jury on May 22 alleges that Guerrero collaborated with two body brokers to refer patients to his employer's facility. This facility treated patients who had health care benefits through insurers. Guerrero reportedly negotiated kickback payments on behalf of the facility, arranging thousands of dollars per patient as compensation for the brokers' referrals. These actions were allegedly intended to meet a monthly patient intake quota required by his employment.
Additionally, Guerrero is accused of assisting body brokers in paying patients directly as further compensation for allowing the facility to bill their insurance providers. The indictment cites an instance where Guerrero arranged a $5,000 electronic payment for a patient via an encrypted messaging service.
In October 2020, it is alleged that Guerrero negotiated $37,000 in kickbacks for five patient referrals over two months, resulting in a partial payment of $30,000 later that month.
It is important to note that an indictment is merely an allegation and does not imply guilt. The defendant remains presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond reasonable doubt in court.
If convicted on all charges, Guerrero could face up to 35 years in federal prison.
The FBI is conducting the investigation into this matter. Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin R. Barron and Nandor Kiss from the Santa Ana Branch Office are leading the prosecution.
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