Florida doctor at center of ‘sober homes’ case sent to prison for fraud

Jose Santeiro, 62, of Miami Lakes, was the medical director of Compass Detox, an inpatient detox and residential facility in Pembroke Pines, and WAR Network LLC, a related outpatient treatment program in Hallandale Beach. Santeiro’s sentencing by U.S. District Judge William Dimitrouleas in Florida is the latest in a major “sober homes” case that had already resulted in the convictions and imprisonment of another Miami-area doctor, a Bay Harbor Islands lawyer, two Bal Harbour brothers and others.

According to trial evidence, Santeiro and others admitted patients for medically unnecessary detox services after patient recruiters offered kickbacks to lure them into the programs and then plied them with illegal drugs to ensure their admittance. Evidence also showed that Santeiro submitted false claims for excessive, medically unnecessary urinalysis drug tests that were never used in treatment, according to the Department of Justice

Santeiro and others then readmitted a core group of patients who were shuffled between Compass Detox and WAR so they could fraudulently bill for as much as possible, according to the Justice Department. Santeiro also prescribed Compass Detox patients a “comfort drink” to sedate them, so they would stay at the facility and keep coming back.

Santeiro also allowed his log-in to be used by others at the detox facilities to sign electronic medical files to make it appear as if he had provided treatment himself when he did not, prosecutors said.

After trial in March 2022, Santeiro was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, and eight counts of health care fraud.

Two other co-defendants, brothers Jonathan and Daniel Markovich, who operated the two detox facilities, were convicted in an earlier trial in November 2021 and sentenced to 15-1/2 years and eight years in prison, respectively.

Richard Waserstein, a Bay Harbor Islands attorney and co-owner of the two facilities, pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiring to launder money from fraudulent healthcare proceeds. He was sentenced to one year and one month in prison and was ordered to pay $270,000 in restitution to the fleeced private insurance companies, a $579,000 forfeiture penalty to the U.S. government and a $100,000 fine, records show.

Drew Lieberman, a Miami-Dade physician who was the chief medical officer of Compass Detox, pleaded guilty to a single charge of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud for admitting patients and submitting false medical claims. He was sentenced to one year and one month in prison. He was also ordered to pay restitution of $1.85 million to the private insurance companies, a forfeiture penalty of $39,000 to the U.S. government and a $20,000 fine.

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