Search Warrants and Arrest Warrants Executed on Organized Health Care Fraud Crime Ring

Source- http://neworleans.fbi.gov/pressrel/pressrel11/no042611.htm

NEW ORLEANS, LA—Eight people were arrested and ten search warrants were executed in furtherance of an extensive investigation into alleged organized crime ring responsible for submitting over $12 million in fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims, announced FBI Special Agent in Charge David Welker, U.S. Attorney Jim Letten, Special Agent in Charge Mike Fields, Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, Dallas Regional Office, Fred Duhy, Director, Louisiana Department of Justice, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Buddy Caldwell, Louisiana State Attorney General.

Specifically, Aram Khlgation, age 55; Artem Gasparyan, age 46; Vadim Mysak, age 24; Daria Litvinova, age 24; Anahit Petrosyan, age 32; Dr. Jack Voight, age 79; Dr. Jerry Haskin, 78; and Joann Girod, age 38 - all residents of the Greater New Orleans area, were arrested pursuant to a federal criminal complaint charging health care fraud. Additionally, ten different metropolitan area locations were searched. All defendants remain in custody. Bond has been set as to Khlgation, Voight, Haskin and Girod. The remaining defendants' detention hearings are still pending.

According to the criminal complaint, the year-long investigation has determined that various metro-area clinics, and persons associated with these clinics, have submitted false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for medical services that were either not rendered or rendered without any underlying medical necessity as required by both Medicare and Medicaid regulations. During the course of the investigation, information was received that the clinics, through the physicians and others associated with the clinics, were submitting false claims to Medicare and Medicaid for diagnostic services that were not rendered or medically necessary. Further according to the complaint, information developed during the course of the investigation indicated that persons associated with the clinics were paying Amarketers@ and Arecruiters@ kickbacks for locating, referring and transporting patients to the clinics for the sole purpose of allowing the clinics to bill Medicare and Medicaid for procedures that either were not rendered or were not medically necessary. The complaint alleges that doctors gave prescriptions for scheduled pain medications for patients in return for undergoing the diagnostic tests and then these prescription medications were often then shared with the Amarketers@ and Arecruiters."


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