TAMPA, FL, – Robert Desselle, 47, was sentenced Friday to 57 months in federal prison for conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks, according to the Department of Justice. In addition to the prison sentence, Desselle was ordered to pay $4.5 million in restitution and forfeit $2.1 million in criminal proceeds.
Desselle pleaded guilty in February 2025. According to court documents, from June 2018 to December 2020, Desselle and his co-conspirators targeted vulnerable Medicare beneficiaries by convincing them to take unnecessary genetic tests. He paid non-medical recruiters to approach beneficiaries at places such as grocery stores, pharmacies, and car dealerships using deceptive tactics.
Desselle then paid bribes to a telemedicine company to generate fraudulent doctor’s orders, which, along with test kits, were sent to laboratories. These labs submitted $11.5 million in false claims to Medicare and paid kickbacks to Desselle and others in exchange for referrals. Medicare paid $4.5 million on those claims. Desselle personally profited more than $2.1 million from the scheme.
The Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) investigated the case. Acting Assistant Attorney General Matthew Galeotti and Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Christian J. Schrank announced the sentence. Trial Attorney Charles D. Strauss of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case.
The case is part of the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which has charged more than 5,800 defendants since 2007, involving over $30 billion in fraudulent claims.
