Connecticut CBD Brand Owner Arrested for Nearly $2M Medicaid Fraud Scheme
Ramon Apellaniz, also known as “Kristopher Rockefeller” or “Kris,” aged 39, from Middletown, and Suhail Aponte, aged 38, from Wethersfield, were arrested yesterday on federal charges of health care fraud. The charges relate to an alleged scheme defrauding Connecticut’s Medicaid program.
Both individuals appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas O. Farrish in Hartford. Aponte, who owns a CBD brand in Connecticut, was released on a $100,000 bond, while Apellaniz remains detained pending a hearing on January 23.
The Connecticut Medical Assistance Program (CTMAP), also known as “HUSKY” or “Connecticut Medicaid,” provides medical aid to low-income residents. The program is jointly funded by the State of Connecticut and the federal government.
According to court documents and statements, Apellaniz previously operated The Gemini Project, LLC, a counseling service based in Newington for individuals with mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders. However, Apellaniz was not a licensed provider, as verified by the state’s public license database. In 2020, he faced charges of larceny, health care fraud, and identity theft for providing unlicensed services and billing Medicaid for those services, including some that were never rendered. Medicaid paid $909,268 to Gemini and Apellaniz for these false claims. After pleading nolo contendere, Apellaniz was sentenced in April 2024 to eight years in prison, with 15 months to be served, followed by five years of parole. He was released from custody in November 2024.
The investigation further alleges that in June 2021, Minds Cornerstone LLC, a business specializing in autism services, was registered in Connecticut, with Aponte as its manager and registered agent, despite not being a licensed provider. Beginning in November 2021, Apellaniz, Aponte, and Minds Cornerstone allegedly defrauded Medicaid by submitting fraudulent claims for services related to Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). Despite Apellaniz having no official role or ownership in the company, he reportedly ran the business under an alias, even during his incarceration.
Specific allegations include billing Medicaid for services when employees were not paid for the corresponding work, claiming supervision by a certified specialist when it did not occur, billing for services provided to patients who were hospitalized, and submitting claims for services that parents and former employees confirmed never happened.
Between November 2021 and December 2024, it is alleged that Apellaniz and Aponte caused over $1.8 million in fraudulent claims, resulting in losses for the Connecticut Department of Social Services. Part of the funds received by Minds Cornerstone were reportedly used by Apellaniz to pay restitution from his earlier state conviction.
From May 2022 to November 2024, Aponte was also employed by the State of Connecticut’s Office of Policy and Management.
Both Apellaniz and Aponte face charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and health care fraud, each carrying a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
U.S. Attorney Vanessa Avery emphasized that these charges are allegations, and both defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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