Doctor Omar Garcia Sentenced to 18 Months for Signing Off on Unneeded Allergen Tests Billed to Medicare; Appeal and Challenge Rejected

Case from 2018–2024 (U.S. Attorney's Office latest release: Feb. 11, 2020; later developments are from court records and other sources cited below). Published on Scammers.com Oct. 16, 2026; case status is current as of that date.

Dr. Omar Garcia, a physician who worked for Chicago-based Grand Medical Clinic Inc., was sentenced in February 2021 to 18 months in prison after a jury convicted him of approving medically unnecessary allergen tests that were billed to Medicare, according to court records [3]. A federal appeals court dismissed his appeal as frivolous in 2022, and his later motion to vacate the conviction was denied in 2024.

How the scheme worked

According to prosecutors and the judge's 2024 opinion [1] [3]:

1. Tests first, approval later: Grand Medical sent nurse practitioners to Medicare patients' homes, where they ordered large numbers of diagnostic tests, such as allergen tests, regardless of need.
2. A doctor's signature: Medicare wouldn't pay without a physician's authorization. Garcia signed off on the tests without seeing the patients, often after the tests had already been given.
3. Spreading the billing: Bills went out through Grand Medical and other entities to reduce the volume from any single company and avoid Medicare scrutiny.
4. His cut: Garcia was paid by check for a percentage of the Medicare payments; the judge's opinion described it as a 10% "commission."

Evidence at trial showed the scheme ran from 2011 to 2015.

The person sentenced

Dr. Omar Garcia, of Ocala, Fla., formerly of Wilmington, Ill. (52 at conviction) [1]

• Indictment (Dec. 6, 2018): health care fraud [2].
• Verdict (Feb. 10, 2020): after a five-day trial, a jury convicted him on all six counts of health care fraud.
• Sentence (February 2021): 18 months in prison, below the guidelines range, imposed by U.S. District Judge Matthew F. Kennelly [3].
• Appeal: The Seventh Circuit granted his lawyer's motion to withdraw and dismissed the appeal as frivolous on May 16, 2022 (No. 21-1415).
• Motion to vacate: Judge Kennelly denied his pro se motion under 28 U.S.C. § 2255 on May 14, 2024.
• Investigation: FBI, HHS Office of Inspector General and the Railroad Retirement Board's Office of Inspector General.

Red flags

• Nurses or technicians who show up and test you for things your own doctor never ordered.
• Medicare notices listing tests "authorized" by a doctor you've never met.
• Same-day in-home testing offered with little explanation.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Check your Medicare Summary Notices for tests and providers you don't recognize.
2. Ask who ordered a test and why before agreeing to it at home.
3. Report suspected Medicare fraud to 1-800-MEDICARE or HHS-OIG at 1-800-HHS-TIPS.

Case status (as of Oct. 16, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status as of Oct. 16, 2026	Source
Dr. Omar Garcia, Ocala, Fla.	N.D. Ill. (Judge Kennelly), No. 1:18-cr-00833; 7th Cir. No. 21-1415	Convicted by jury Feb. 10, 2020; sentenced February 2021 to 18 months; appeal dismissed May 16, 2022; § 2255 motion denied May 14, 2024	[1]-[3]

We have not found a source on any proceedings after May 2024.

Sources

1. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Federal Jury Convicts Doctor on Fraud Charges for Approving Medically Unnecessary Tests," Feb. 11, 2020. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-jury-convicts-doctor-fraud-charges-approving-medically-unnecessary-tests
2. U.S. Attorney's Office, Northern District of Illinois, "Federal Grand Jury Indicts Doctor for Allegedly Approving Medically Unnecessary Tests Billed to Medicare," Dec. 10, 2018. https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndil/pr/federal-grand-jury-indicts-doctor-allegedly-approving-medically-unnecessary-tests
3. U.S. District Court, N.D. Ill., United States v. Garcia, No. 23 C 2822, Memorandum Opinion and Order denying § 2255 motion, May 14, 2024 (via CourtListener RECAP). https://storage.courtlistener.com/recap/gov.uscourts.ilnd.433213/gov.uscourts.ilnd.433213.12.0.pdf

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