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Prolific Fraudster Sentenced to 18 Months in Prison

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Department of Justice
U.S. Attorney’s Office
District of Puerto Rico

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 20, 2022

SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico – On April 19, 2022, defendant Ramón Julbe-Rosa was sentenced to 18 months in prison and was ordered to pay $270,941.98 in restitution, by United States District Court Judge Aida Delgado Colón, announced W. Stephen Muldrow, United States Attorney for the District of Puerto Rico.

On January 27, 2022, Julbe-Rosa pleaded guilty to 12 counts including theft of government property and introducing unapproved new drugs into the United States. Ramón Julbe-Rosa defrauded the Social Security Administration and Medicare by receiving Social Security Disability Insurance Benefit payments while working.

Defendant Julbe-Rosa also committed fraud against the Department of Veterans Affairs for fraudulently receiving unemployability benefits, and fraud in connection with Major Disaster or Emergency Benefits related to Hurricane María. Julbe-Rosa applied for an SBA Disaster Loan by falsely representing that on September 20, 2017, his primary residence, damaged by Hurricane María was located in Morovis, Puerto Rico when he well knew that this was not his primary residence. As a result, the defendant fraudulently received $50,000.00 from SBA.

In addition, Julbe-Rosa plead guilty to Introducing into Interstate Commerce Unapproved New Drugs. Defendant Julbe-Rosa established and operated the website www.aceitedeguanabana.com through which he promoted and sold various products intended as treatments for serious medical conditions without FDA approval. Defendant Julbe-Rosa sold at least $341,242.26 worth of unapproved new drugs.

Julbe-Rosa was ordered to make restitution as follows: $57,552.00 for the Social Security Administration; $118,943.94 for the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs; $47,002.10 for the Medicare Program and $47,443.94 for the Small Business Administration; for a total restitution amount of $270,941.98.

This case was investigated by the Social Security Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG) with the collaboration of the Food and Drug Administration, Office of Criminal Investigations (FDA); Department of Homeland Security, Office of Inspector General (DHS-OIG); Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of the Inspector General (VA-OIG); and the Puerto Rico Police Bureau.

Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Vanessa D. Bonano from the Social Security Administration prosecuted the case.

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Topic(s): 
Disaster Fraud
Financial Fraud
Health Care Fraud

Component(s): 
USAO - Puerto Rico

 
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