An Orange County man is facing serious charges alleging that he practiced as a Medicaid provider without having a medical license in the state of Florida.
In an affidavit released by the Orange County Clerk's Office, Liranzo D. Wellington is accused of committing Medicaid fraud and writing prescriptions on a pad issued to the owner of the practice Wellington worked at.
During the investigation, patients seen and treated by Wellington provided sworn statements that he provided them medical care, and prescriptions they would not have been able to obtain over-the-counter.
One of the women who provided verbal testimony to investigators said she stopped using the Primary Care Family Health Center after being mistreated and misdiagnosed by Wellington. The woman told them she saw Wellington for what believed was pneumonia, but Wellington prescribed her medicine for asthma and sent her home. According to the affidavit, that woman was later hospitalized for pneumonia.
Another woman interviewed during the investigation said she was under the impression for four years the Wellington was Dr. Nau, stating that is who she has "always known as Dr. Nau."
A third woman said she had been a patient of Dr. Wellington for years, and he even performed two separate gynecology examinations on her. At one point, according to the woman's statement, Wellington prescribed her an ointment for a rash on her neck, that only worsened the condition. On another occasion, the woman alleges that Wellington diagnosed her for an in-grown hair, but the cream he prescribed didn't improve the condition. The woman told investigators she took herself to Dr. Phillips Hospital where she ended up having a surgery.
Investigators say many of these patients were Medicaid patients, with numerous claims being submitted to a managed care provider, costing thousands of dollars.
Wellington's actions were carefully investigated from January 1, 2013, all the way through August 31, 2014.
The owner of the Primary Care Family Health Center who employed Wellington told investigators that the man was simply helping with the intake of patients, and could not provide an answer as to why his employees referred to Wellington as a doctor.
Wellington told investigators that some patients may confuse him for their doctor because he translates all of the doctors instructions and advice for them. He said staff members referred to him as "doctor" due to his honorific title.