Mother-Daughter Duo Charged in $9.5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme; Part of National Healthcare Fraud Takedown

SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury indictment charges a mother and daughter with conspiring to defraud Medicare by billing millions of dollars for wound care services while the mother—the licensed nurse practitioner listed as the provider—was serving time in federal prison. The charges are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. According to the indictment, Blanca Estela Cardenas, a San Diego nurse practitioner and owner of Mobile Care Medical Providers, LLC and B&R Wound Care, Inc., and her daughter, Raquel Pasillas, allegedly carried out a scheme to bill Medicare for mobile medical services between April and October 2024. Prosecutors allege that during that time, Cardenas was incarcerated, serving a federal sentence for an unrelated bulk cash smuggling conviction and was therefore unable to personally provide care or supervise medical services as required under Medicare regulations. Despite her incarceration, the indictment alleges, the businesses continued submitting claims to Medicare under Cardenas’ National Provider Identifier (NPI), falsely representing that she was the rendering provider for the services. According to prosecutors, Pasillas—who held operational leadership roles at the businesses but had no medical license or certification—personally provided medical services to Medicare beneficiaries, including wound care and the application of costly skin substitute allografts. Over the six-month period, the defendants allegedly submitted approximately $9.5 million in claims to Medicare and received approximately $5.5 million in reimbursements. The indictment further alleges the pair diverted fraud proceeds for personal use, including more than $4.7 million in cash withdrawals, deposits into their personal bank accounts, and rent payments for Cardenas’ residence while she remained in custody.