Twenty years ago, Robert Peter Sauve faced charges for orchestrating a significant scheme that defrauded the federal Medicare program of millions of dollars. However, before authorities could detain him, Sauve managed to escape the Miami area, evading capture for two decades.
For years, Sauve remained a fugitive, successfully avoiding law enforcement. His journey took him away from the United States, with his most recent travels leading him from Canada to Italy. This international movement eventually led to his capture by the FBI. On Thursday night, FBI agents extradited Sauve back to Miami from Italy, marking the end of his long-standing evasion.
Sauve’s alleged fraudulent activities involved operating clinics in Miami Beach with business partner, Leonardo Javier Bolanos, where they allegedly billed Medicare for unnecessary or unprovided HIV-infusion drug treatments. These clinics reportedly paid kickbacks to doctors and patients as part of the scheme, collecting nearly $4 million from Medicare. At the time of his indictment in 2004, South Florida clinics submitted more claims for HIV infusion therapy drugs than the rest of the country combined.
While other defendants involved in the scheme were convicted and sentenced, Sauve and Bolanos managed to evade capture until now. Bolanos remains at large. With Sauve now back in Miami, he faces the legal consequences of his alleged actions from two decades ago. Sauve made his first court appearance in Miami on Friday to face charges of conspiracy and healthcare fraud. He is one of many fugitives who fled prosecution for Medicare fraud in South Florida, with numerous others still at large. The case highlights the persistent efforts of law enforcement agencies to close cases of alleged fraud, regardless of the time elapsed or the distances involved.