Overpriced Penis Pumps a Cautionary Tale for Hispanic Entrepreneurs

I am always on the prowl for positive news on Hispanics and Latin America and God knows we need it.  It simply has been an awful week, what with rabid bats in Peru, dengue in Honduras, killer bees in Mexico and just outright killers throughout Mexico.  State side we have J Lo banished from American Idol for diva-ness, feces flung at Tila Tequila and the Army aggressively recruiting Hispanics to be “All That You Can Be”.

So I am always proud to read about Hispanic businesses and budding entrepreneurs.  Whenever I can I brag about the 3,000,000 U.S. Hispanic owned businesses but now am sad to report we have 2,999,998 losing two creatively crafted enterprises.  Gone by the wayside are Charlie Rx and Happy Trips of Florida owned by Emilio Felipe Lopez and Orlando Hernandez Estevez (hopefully this isn’t a pseudonym for Emilio Estevez who hasn’t been seen or heard from for sometime). 

The business names caught my eye, with the majority of Hispanic businesses being in construction and home repair it looked like these Floridians were breaking ground in the travel business or in the happy travel business accomplished only through pharmacological means.  I would have been impressed either way.

Even better, I discovered, they were in the medical sector where there are even fewer Hispanic entrepreneurs.  Yes, they were distributing over-priced penis pumps for $395 but it’s still in the medical field.  You know, it’s like telling your mom you’re a “doctor” when you’re actually a podiatrist.  The problem was our Hispanic duo was falsely billing Medicare to the tune of millions of dollars and handing out the pumps like candy

In order to receive Medicare reimbursement they must be prescribed to elderly men and be deemed “medically necessary” clearly something my geriatric suitors are not aware of still relying on Viagra to do the trick.  What do the Gringos say ‘can’t be a one trick pony’ to succeed. I digress.

The Hispanic entrepreneurial duo even submitted invoices on behalf of single women for up to four penis pumps per woman, which is what gave them away to government regulators.  I know folks I can’t make this stuff up I am just here to ask ¿Por Que?.  South Florida is one of the Medicare fraud capitals in the U.S. so our enterprising Latinos were at least in the right geographic market for setting up their illicit trade. 

Emilio and Oscar are clearly not representative of the hard working and enduring spirit of U.S. Hispanic businesses but if nothing else they gave us a moment of diversion from turbulent economic times effecting all business owners.