Straw owner pleads guilty to laundering proceeds of $6 million Medicare billing scheme
A Massachusetts man who posed as owner of a New Hampshire medical supply company pleaded guilty to money laundering conspiracy.
On October 13, 2026, the US Department of Justice announced that Leo Anzivino Jr., 35, of Falmouth, Massachusetts, pleaded guilty to one count of money laundering conspiracy. The case is prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Section and the US Attorney's Office for the District of New Hampshire.
According to the DOJ, Anzivino agreed to act as the straw, or nominee, owner of Advanced Medical Supply Corp., based in Rochester, New Hampshire, while co-conspirators were the true owners and managers. The company billed Medicare for over $6 million in durable medical equipment, such as knee and back braces, that beneficiaries did not need and doctors did not prescribe. Medicare paid over $3 million. Anzivino was listed as owner on Medicare enrollment paperwork and gave a New Hampshire bank false documents about the company's ownership.
The DOJ says Anzivino tried to move over $1 million from the company's account to affiliated companies at a co-conspirator's direction. After a bank employee raised concerns about those companies, he opened an account at a bank with Massachusetts branches. After learning that the company's Medicare billing privileges would be revoked, he wired $1,494,938.09 in three transactions over five weeks. In 2024, the government seized approximately $353,768.29 from the company's bank account.
Sentencing is scheduled for January 21, 2027. Money laundering conspiracy carries a maximum of 10 years in prison.
Why it matters to AML professionals
Nominee owners are used to hide who really controls a business and its bank accounts. Accurate beneficial ownership information at account opening is the first defence. Front-line staff who question unusual transfers to affiliated companies help surface laundering attempts, and customers who move to another bank after such questions deserve extra attention.
Red flags in this case
- A business owner who cannot explain the company's operations or who directs its decisions
- Large transfers to affiliated companies soon after government or insurance payments arrive
- A customer opening a new account at another bank after questions were raised about transactions
- Rapid outgoing wires after a regulatory or payer action against the business
If this landed in your queue
- Verify beneficial ownership and test whether the listed owner actually controls the business
- Review incoming government healthcare payments against the company's size and history
- Look at the purpose and links of affiliated companies receiving transfers
- File a SAR when ownership information appears false or funds are moved out quickly
Key terms
- Straw or nominee owner
- A person listed as the owner of a business who acts for someone else who really controls it.
- Durable medical equipment
- Reusable medical items, such as braces, that Medicare pays for when properly prescribed.
Interview angle
How would you spot a nominee owner during customer due diligence?
Talk about asking the owner about operations, checking their background against the business, looking for third parties giving instructions, and confirming beneficial ownership documents.
Sources
Go deeper on AMLift
Every fact in AMLift News Desk stories comes from an official source: a regulator, court, government gazette or the company's own filing.
Report an error
Every report is checked against the official source. If we got something wrong, the story is corrected.