BRIDGEPORT, CT – A Middletown man has been sentenced to 78 months in federal prison for defrauding the Connecticut Medicaid Program of more than $1.8 million through a fraudulent behavioral health services operation.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Connecticut, 40-year-old Ramon Apellaniz, former operator of The Gemini Project, LLC, conspired with Suhail Aponte, owner of Minds Cornerstone Behavior Therapy Services, to submit false claims for applied behavior analysis services provided to children with autism spectrum disorder. Between November 2021 and January 2025, the two caused approximately $1,876,617 in losses to the state Medicaid program.
Apellaniz operated under the alias “Kristopher Rockefeller,” directing Aponte from prison on how to commit the fraud and use the illicit proceeds. Investigators said some of the stolen funds were used for personal luxury expenses and partial restitution payments from a prior state conviction.
Apellaniz pleaded guilty on May 16, 2025, to one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. On November 3, U.S. District Judge Stefan R. Underhill sentenced him to 78 months in prison, followed by two years of supervised release, and ordered restitution exceeding $1.8 million.
Aponte pleaded guilty to the same charge on April 30 and is scheduled for sentencing in February 2026.
The case was investigated by the FBI, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Connecticut Chief State’s Attorney’s Office, and the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Assistant U.S. Attorney David T. Huang prosecuted the case.
