A federal grand jury has indicted 51-year-old Felipe Ruiz of Fresno and 52-year-old Jose Gabriel Aguirre of Clovis for conspiring to commit health fraud, acting U.S. Attorney Michele Beckwith announced Thursday. 

Ruiz was a podiatrist at West Coast Podiatry Inc., which has offices in Fresno, Madera and Stanislaus counties. Aguirre worked as a sales representative for companies that sold skin grafts. He made the sales using his name, his wife’s name and a company registered in her name.

Between June 2021 and January 2024, according to court documents, Ruiz bought skin grafts from Aguirre and allowed him to apply them to Medicare and Medi-Cal patients while Ruiz wasn’t there. Aguirre did not have a medical license. 

Patients reportedly called Aguirre “Dr. Gabe,” even though he wasn’t a doctor, according to court documents. 

Ruiz and Aguirre billed Medicare and Medi-Cal, claiming Ruiz had done the procedures himself, prosecutors allege. The false claims brought in millions of dollars, which Ruiz used to pay Aguirre. 

The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services’ OIG and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Brittany M. Gunter.

If convicted, each man could face up to 10 years in prison and a $250,000 fine.