Two Sisters get 14 years in prison for Mich. fraud

DETROIT (AP) -- Two sisters who committed millions of dollars in Medicare fraud in the Detroit area have been sentenced to 14 years in prison. The result was a surprise last Thursday. Before the court hearing in Miami, sentencing guidelines suggested a punishment of nine to 11 years in prison for Caridad and Clara Guilarte. They pleaded guilty in August, five months after being captured overseas in Colombia. The Guilarte sisters ran a sham clinic in Dearborn and billed Medicare for phony drug treatments. The government in turn paid $6 million. The sisters bribed poor people to come to their clinic so they could get their Medicare information. More than 30 people have been convicted for their roles in similar clinics in the Detroit area. Published: Mon, Nov 7, 2011