SARASOTA, Fla. (WWSB) – A Sarasota nurse practitioner and two Tampa Bay-area nurses have been charged in an alleged Medicare fraud scheme involving more than $118 million in wound care billing, according to the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
Leigh Tesar, 44, of Sarasota; Walter Presha Jr., 51, of Ellenton; and Koby Evans, 31, of Apollo Beach, were charged by indictment in the case.
Prosecutors said the three were charged with conspiracy to defraud the United States and conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks. Tesar was also charged with health care fraud and payment of health care kickbacks. Presha and Evans were also charged with receiving health care kickbacks.
The charges are allegations.
According to the indictment summary, prosecutors allege the defendants targeted Medicare patients so Tesar could bill Medicare for unnecessary and expensive wound allografts. Presha and Evans, both nurses, allegedly received kickbacks for referring patients to Tesar.
Prosecutors said some allografts were never applied to patients. Others were allegedly applied to infected wounds or to wounds that would not heal because the patient was terminally ill.
Over 18 months, Medicare was billed more than $118 million for skin grafts and wound care services that prosecutors allege were medically unnecessary, ineligible for reimbursement, not performed or obtained through kickbacks. Medicare paid about $61 million based on the claims, according to the case summary.
The government seized approximately $11.8 million in assets in the matter.
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