CONCORD, NH – October 14, 2026 (STL.News) Cape Cod – Fraud – A Massachusetts man pleaded guilty to participating in a money-laundering conspiracy tied to a Medicare fraud operation that generated more than $6 million in fraudulent medical equipment claims, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Leo Anzivino Jr., 35, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty Tuesday, October 13, before U.S. District Judge Landya McCafferty in New Hampshire. Federal prosecutors said the conspiracy involved a medical supply company that billed Medicare for equipment patients did not need and physicians had not prescribed.
The operation led Medicare to pay more than $3 million in fraudulent claims, while Anzivino helped conceal the identities of the individuals who actually controlled the company and transferred nearly $1.5 million through financial transactions.
Anzivino pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy and faces a maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison. His sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2027.
Medical Supply Company Used to Submit Fraudulent Claims
Federal prosecutors say the fraudulent operation centered on Advanced Medical Supply Corp., a medical equipment supplier based in Rochester, New Hampshire.
Investigators determined that Anzivino agreed to serve as the company’s nominal owner, although other individuals were its actual beneficial owners and managers.
The arrangement allowed those individuals to maintain control of the business while concealing their involvement from Medicare administrators and financial institutions.
Advanced Medical Supply subsequently submitted more than $6 million in claims to Medicare for durable medical equipment, including knee braces and back braces.
Durable medical equipment generally includes medical products intended for repeated use by patients who have qualifying medical needs.
Under Medicare rules, covered equipment must satisfy applicable medical necessity, documentation, and supplier requirements.
However, prosecutors said the equipment billed through Advanced Medical Supply was neither medically necessary for the beneficiaries nor prescribed by their physicians.
Instead, the company relied on fabricated physician orders to support reimbursement claims.
The Justice Department said the physicians identified in those documents had not actually written or submitted the orders.
Despite the fraudulent documentation, Medicare paid the company more than $3 million.
Medicare Patients Returned Unwanted Equipment
One particularly revealing aspect of the investigation involved Medicare beneficiaries who received medical products they had never requested.
According to the Justice Department, some recipients returned boxes of equipment to Advanced Medical Supply accompanied by handwritten notes questioning the shipments.
One beneficiary said the products were not ordered and described the shipment as fraudulent.
Another reported receiving equipment without authorization from either the patient or the patient’s physician.
A third questioned whether the unsolicited delivery was connected to a Medicare scam.
The Justice Department included photographs of several returned packages and accompanying messages in its public announcement.
The complaints showed how beneficiaries could be linked to fraudulent Medicare claims even when they did not request the equipment.
For Medicare administrators, unauthorized medical equipment claims can cause financial losses and make it harder to distinguish legitimate medical purchases from fraudulent billing.
The case also demonstrates why unsolicited medical supplies and unfamiliar claims appearing on Medicare statements warrant scrutiny.
False Ownership Records Helped Conceal the Operation
Federal prosecutors said Anzivino played an important role in disguising the company’s ownership structure.
He was listed as the owner of Advanced Medical Supply on Medicare enrollment documents, despite other individuals actually owning and managing the business.
He also submitted fraudulent account-opening documents to a New Hampshire bank.
Those records falsely represented that he owned at least 25% of the company’s equity interests.
In reality, other individuals, including a co-conspirator, held ownership interests in Advanced Medical Supply.
Ownership disclosures are significant because financial institutions and government health care programs use them to identify individuals who control businesses and receive payments.
Misrepresenting beneficial ownership can obscure money flows and complicate efforts to determine who ultimately benefits from fraudulent transactions.
In this case, prosecutors said the inaccurate records helped conceal the individuals directing the operation.
Nearly $1.5 Million Transferred Through Bank Accounts
The money-laundering conspiracy extended beyond submitting fraudulent Medicare claims.
According to court documents and statements presented in court, Anzivino attempted to transfer more than $1 million from Advanced Medical Supply’s New Hampshire bank account to companies affiliated with a co-conspirator.
A bank employee questioned the legitimacy of the receiving businesses.
The employee explained that the institution had not established sufficient confidence that the companies were legitimate and advised Anzivino to conduct his own research.
Rather than resolving those concerns, Anzivino opened another bank account at a financial institution with branches in Massachusetts.
Prosecutors said he then continued efforts to move money tied to the fraudulent operation.
Anzivino eventually completed three wire transfers totaling $1,494,938.09 over approximately five weeks.
Each transfer exceeded $10,000.
The transactions were central to the money laundering conspiracy to which he pleaded guilty.
Medicare Billing Privileges Revoked
The Justice Department also described communications that occurred after Anzivino learned Advanced Medical Supply would lose its ability to bill Medicare.
The revocation involved multiple deficiencies, including problems verifying his ownership of the company.
After that development, Anzivino exchanged messages with another individual, expressing concern that people who had given him money might demand repayment.
He also said a co-conspirator kept pressuring him to transfer funds.
Although those messages reflected his stated reluctance to keep sending money, prosecutors said he still made the three wire transfers.
The communications and subsequent transactions provided additional evidence of his involvement in moving proceeds associated with the fraudulent medical billing operation.
In 2024, federal authorities seized about $353,768.29 from an Advanced Medical Supply bank account tied to the alleged scheme.
The seizure represented only a portion of the more than $3 million Medicare had paid on fraudulent claims.
The Justice Department’s announcement did not establish that Medicare recovered the entire amount it paid.
Federal Agencies Investigated the Fraud
The investigation involved multiple federal law enforcement agencies that combat financial crimes and protect government health care programs.
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the FBI led the investigation.
They received assistance from IRS Criminal Investigation and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service within the Department of War Office of Inspector General.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Matthew Hunter and Matthew Vicinanzo for the District of New Hampshire are handling the prosecution, along with Trial Attorneys John Howard and Tiffany Wynn of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division.
U.S. Attorney Erin Creegan and Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald were among the federal officials announcing the guilty plea.
The case falls within the Justice Department’s broader efforts to investigate fraud involving taxpayer-funded benefit programs.
Medicare Fraud Remains a Federal Enforcement Priority
Medicare fraud investigations frequently involve allegations of false billing, unnecessary medical services, fabricated prescriptions, or attempts to conceal the people controlling companies that receive federal payments.
Durable medical equipment fraud presents particular enforcement challenges because claims can involve products shipped to beneficiaries without legitimate medical authorization.
Fraudulent operators may use physician information, beneficiary identification numbers, and business enrollment records to make unauthorized transactions appear legitimate.
The Cape Cod case illustrates how medical billing fraud and money laundering can operate together.
The initial fraudulent claims generated payments from Medicare, while misleading ownership documents and subsequent financial transfers helped conceal the individuals associated with the proceeds.
According to the Justice Department, its Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program has charged more than 6,200 defendants since 2007 in cases involving more than $45 billion in combined billings to federal health care programs and private insurers.
Those figures represent amounts billed in cases involving charged defendants, not a determination that every dollar constituted a proven financial loss.
The Justice Department said federal enforcement efforts also involve cooperation with the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General.
Sentencing Scheduled for January 2027
Anzivino’s guilty plea resolves the money laundering conspiracy charge against him, but his criminal proceedings remain pending until sentencing.
Judge McCafferty is scheduled to determine his sentence on January 21, 2027.
Although the offense carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in federal prison, that maximum does not establish the sentence he will receive.
The court will consider the applicable federal sentencing guidelines, statutory requirements and relevant circumstances before imposing punishment.
The Justice Department has not announced a final sentencing outcome.
The case highlights the financial consequences of fraudulent Medicare billing and the importance of identifying the actual owners of businesses receiving federal health care payments.
It also shows that individuals who help conceal ownership or transfer proceeds from fraudulent operations can face federal criminal liability even when their primary role is financial rather than medical.
For Medicare beneficiaries, the investigation reminds them to review Medicare Summary Notices, question unfamiliar charges, and report medical equipment received without authorization.
Federal authorities continue to pursue both the fraudulent billing that generates illicit proceeds and the financial arrangements used to conceal or distribute those funds.
