Thomas “Tom Mix” Farese, a reputed consigliere of New York’s Colombo crime family and a longtime fixture in South Florida’s underworld, was sentenced Tuesday to two years in federal prison for laundering nearly half a million dollars in proceeds from a sprawling Medicare fraud scheme that screwed taxpayers out of tens of millions of dollars.
The 83-year-old Farese, who now resides in Fort Lauderdale, appeared before U.S. District Judge Michael E. Farbiarz in Newark, New Jersey, where he was also ordered to serve six months of home confinement and three years of supervised release following his prison term. In addition, Farese must pay $1.3 million in restitution and forfeit $495,000, the amount he personally laundered from the fraudulent operation
Federal prosecutors described the case as part of a broader crackdown on healthcare fraud, a crime that costs the U.S. tens of billions of dollars annually and undermines the integrity of programs like Medicare.
According to court documents, Farese was an investor in a durable medical equipment (DME) company that submitted false claims to Medicare and other insurers for orthotic braces—such as those for knees, backs, and wrists—that were neither medically necessary nor, in many cases, even wanted by patients.
The fraudulent DME company, operated by Aaron Williamsky, Nadia Levit, and others, used aggressive telemarketing and kickbacks to telemedicine companies to generate a steady stream of patients and physicians willing to sign off on unnecessary prescriptions. The scheme, which ran from 2016 through 2019, ultimately resulted in more than $93 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other government health programs.
Farese’s involvement in the scheme went beyond mere investment. After the arrests of his business partners in April 2019, he became aware of the fraudulent nature of the operation but continued to accept $495,000 in proceeds into his bank account.
He discussed the situation with his longtime associate, Patsy Truglia, another figure with deep mob ties who was previously sentenced to 15 years in prison for related healthcare fraud and ordered to repay $18 million to the government.
While the official indictment did not mention Farese’s connection to the Colombo crime family, his role as its consigliere and street boss has been widely reported in the media and law enforcement circles. Farese’s criminal career stretches back to the 1970s, when he was convicted of masterminding a major marijuana smuggling ring and later served time for laundering drug money through South Florida strip clubs.
Farese’s latest conviction is just the most recent chapter in a decades-long saga of organized crime and financial fraud. After serving a 30-year sentence for drug smuggling and a subsequent 10-year term for money laundering, Farese was again arrested in 2012 on money-laundering charges, though he was acquitted in that case. His repeated run-ins with the law have made him a notorious figure in both New York and Florida, with prosecutors and investigators citing his ability to adapt traditional mob rackets to new, lucrative arenas like healthcare fraud
Experts estimate that healthcare fraud adds as much as $100 billion to the annual cost of healthcare in the United States, raising premiums and out-of-pocket expenses for consumers and taxpayers alike.
The investigation into Farese’s case was led by the FBI Newark Field Office, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Defense Criminal Investigative Service. Prosecutors say the case sends a clear message: “Individuals who cheat Medicare will face justice”
With his sentencing in New Jersey now complete, Farese still faces additional charges in Florida, where he and several associates—including Ed and Robbyn Cannatelli and Virginia Lockett—are accused of using a network of medical equipment “fronts” to submit false Medicare bills for unnecessary braces.