A mother and daughter have been indicted by a federal grand jury in San Diego for allegedly conspiring to defraud Medicare of millions of dollars for wound care services, as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from a scheme where the licensed nurse practitioner, Blanca Estela Cardenas, was serving a federal prison sentence while her businesses continued to bill Medicare.
According to the indictment, Cardenas, owner of Mobile Care Medical Providers, LLC and B&R Wound Care, Inc., and her daughter, Raquel Pasillas, allegedly submitted claims to Medicare for mobile medical services between April and October 2024. During this period, Cardenas was incarcerated for an unrelated bulk cash smuggling conviction, making her unable to personally provide or supervise the medical care as required by Medicare regulations.
Despite Cardenas's incarceration, the businesses allegedly continued to submit claims under her National Provider Identifier (NPI), falsely representing her as the rendering provider. Prosecutors allege that Pasillas, who held operational roles but lacked a medical license, personally provided services, including wound care and costly skin substitute allografts, to Medicare beneficiaries. Over six months, the defendants allegedly submitted approximately $9.5 million in claims and received about $5.5 million in reimbursements.
The indictment further alleges that the pair diverted over $4.7 million of these fraud proceeds for personal use, including cash withdrawals, deposits into personal bank accounts, and rent payments for Cardenas’s residence while she was in custody. "Every dollar stolen through health care fraud is a dollar taken from patient care," said U.S. Attorney Adam Gordon. Special Agent in Charge Mark Remily of the FBI’s San Diego Field Office added, "Schemes like this undermine trust in our health care system and drive up costs for everyone."
These charges are part of a nationwide law enforcement action that has resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 medical professionals, for alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes totaling over $6.5 billion in false claims. The coordinated effort involved 56 federal districts, 45 U.S. states and territories, and 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, marking the most extensive participation in Department history.