Florida Man Wanted For Fraud Caught Fleeing To Cuba On Jet Ski

A South Florida man accused of being involved in a multimillion fraud scheme was caught trying to flee the United States on a jet ski, according to Local 10.

Ernesto Cruz Graveran, a 54-year-old from Hialeah, is currently being held as a flight risk after he was charged in a $4.2 million Medicare fraud scheme, according to court records. A federal judge in Miami ordered him detained on Monday (June 13).

U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Customs and Border Protection officers say they found Cruz Graveran floating on a broken-down jet ski near Key West, heading in the direction of Cuba.

“Graveran was aboard the jet ski along with one other individual, who was known to law enforcement to be an alien smuggler,” a U.S. Department of Justice news release said Tuesday (June 14). “The jet ski was outfitted with a special fuel cell to allow for long trips, and within the compartments of the jet ski, law enforcement discovered a trove of food and water bottles.”

A criminal complaint alleges Cruz Graveran's company sent millions of dollars worth of fraudulent health care claims to Medicare earlier this year for medical equipment, but the business never provided these items.

Reporters say he's currently awaiting trial while in custody.