Florida Nurse Practitioner and Two Nurses Charged in Alleged $118 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

A Florida nurse practitioner and two nurses from the Tampa Bay area have been accused of orchestrating a massive Medicare fraud scheme that allegedly generated more than $118 million in fraudulent wound care billings.

Federal prosecutors announced charges against Leigh Tesar, 44, of Sarasota; Walter Presha Jr., 51, of Ellenton; and Koby Evans, 31, of Apollo Beach as part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

According to an indictment, prosecutors allege the three conspired to exploit vulnerable Medicare patients by billing the federal health insurance program for costly and medically unnecessary skin graft procedures.

Investigators claim Ms Tesar, a nurse practitioner, submitted claims for expensive wound allografts that were either unnecessary, ineligible for reimbursement, never performed, or obtained through illegal kickback arrangements.

The indictment alleges that Mr Presha and Mr Evans received payments in exchange for referring patients to Ms Tesar.

Prosecutors further claim that some grafts were never applied to patients at all, while others were allegedly used on infected wounds or on terminally ill patients whose wounds were not expected to heal.

Over an 18-month period, Medicare was billed more than $118 million for wound care services and skin graft procedures, according to court documents. Federal authorities say Medicare ultimately paid approximately $61 million on the claims.

As part of the investigation, the government seized roughly $11.8 million in assets.

Ms Tesar faces charges including health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, and payment of health care kickbacks. Mr Presha and Mr Evans are charged with conspiracy and receiving health care kickbacks.

All three defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court. The charges remain allegations, and the case will now proceed through the federal judicial system.

The case forms part of a nationwide crackdown by the Department of Justice targeting alleged health care fraud schemes that authorities say cost American taxpayers billions of dollars each year.