Miami-Dade man arrested in illegal assisted living facility bust in court as woman on the run

A man arrested in connection with the bust of an illegal assisted living facility in Miami-Dade appeared in court as a woman who's also a suspect remains on the run.

Otto V. Egea, 65, was arrested Wednesday on a charge of operating an illegal assisted living facility, an arrest report said.

Egea's arrest was made after Miami-Dade Police's Medical Crimes Unit, working with multiple federal and local agencies, executed a search warrant Wednesday at a home at 20700 Southwest 122nd Avenue.

Miami-Dade Corrections

Miami-Dade Corrections

Inside the home, authorities found 26 patients and two employees, the arrest report said.

The residents are elderly or in some cases physically or mentally disabled, police said. Several ambulances were seen taking the residents from the home to local hospitals so they could be evaluated.

Officials said the inside of the home looks like a hotel, with multiple rooms subdivided, along with bunkbeds, locker rooms and futons.

The residents told investigators they were provided meals and had their medications monitored, and a staff member said she assisted residents with grooming and bathing, the report said.

Miami-Dade Police spokesman Alvaro Zabaleta said the facility was being run without a license and the employees weren't medically trained and didn't have proper certifications.

At least 15 patients have been taken from the home for involuntary psychiatric evaluations since January, Zabaleta said.

"You can understand how this globally can become a formula for disaster," Zabaleta said. "You can see that it's just a simple residence but what's going on inside can be disastrous."

The report said residents told detectives Egea was the owner of the business, and that he made all the business decisions.

Employees said their employer and the person who paid them was a second suspect, a woman who is listed as the registered agent and president of the facility, the report said.

The report noted that the 50-year-old woman remains "at-large."

Egea appeared in court Thursday where he was granted a $6,500 bond on two charges plus a $1,000 bond on a separate domestic violence charge.

Back in 2015, Egea was one of 73 people who were charged in connection with what the Department of Justice called the largest Medicare fraud takedown in history.

Egea later pleaded guilty in the case under a plea agreement with federal prosecutors.

As for the house, some people are still living there while the investigation continues. Some said they don't have anywhere to go, and were allowed to remain until they can find another place to live.