MIAMI (CBSMiami) – A South Florida woman was among eleven people convicted of federal crimes to receive a pardon and commutation from President Donald Trump.
After nearly a decade behind bars, Judith Negron returned to her Miami Lakes home Wednesday morning with her husband and children.
“The Lord has really blessed me with a president who has really heard my calls and given me my life back,” Negron says. “I don’t know how I can ever repay that.”
She had served eight years of her 35-year sentence.
Negron was convicted back in 2011 of organizing a massive Medicare scam. She was the owner of the mental health company American Therapeutic Corporation, and the Department of Justice says she submitted more than $200 million in fraudulent claims to the Medicare program.
A federal jury found her guilty of two dozen felony counts, including health care fraud, paying and receiving kickbacks, and money laundering.
In a slew of issuing pardons and commutations Tuesday, the President decided her debt had been paid.
“I’m overwhelmed with joy,” Negron says. “I mean, words cannot express what I am feeling right now. It hasn’t hit me yet. It feels surreal. I can’t believe I am home.”
“The next step is moving forward,” says her husband, Hector Negron. “Putting everything behind and making our life better for both of us, and making a life for our family.”
According to the Department of Justice, at the time, this was one of the largest fraud schemes ever prosecuted by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.
