A fugitive from Miami who spent 20 years on the run after allegedly swindling millions from Medicare is back in custody in the U.S. and now his family is speaking out.
Robert Allen Lopez was arrested in Nicaragua in November after he fled the United States to avoid Medicare fraud and kidnapping charges in the mid-90s.
His brother, Rene Lopez Estevez, who lives in Delray Beach, says Lopez shouldn't be taking the lion's share of the blame.
"The truth is my brother made a mistake and took the blame for a lot of wrongdoing and he deserves to pay a price accordingly, but not what they're doing to him because that's not fair and that's not justice," Estevez said.
Estevez last saw his brother in Mexico in 2000. Lopez, suspected of causing more than $4 million in false claims, was facing up to 20 years in prison.
Estevez blames Lopez's wife for introducing him to the Medicare scheme.
"She was a savvy business woman who always made a lot of money and introduced my brother to this Medicare business," he said.
Local
NBC 6 tried to reach Lopez's wife but was unable to find her.
Estevez argues that his brother took the fall for his family so his wife wouldn't go to jail. He shared that story with authorities but it doesn't look like they're buying it.
Lopez will now go before a judge to face the decades-old charges. Estevez said he will visit his brother in jail over the weekend.
