SAN JOSE - Gurinder Mand was sentenced today to 13 months in prison and ordered to pay $254,906.20 in restitution for her involvement in a health care fraud scheme operated out of a San Jose pharmacy, United States Attorney Melinda Haag announced.
Mand pleaded guilty on December 12, 2012, to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349. According to the plea agreement, Mand admitted to knowingly and willfully conspiring with the former owner of EZ Step Pharmacy in San Jose to submit false and fraudulent claims to health care benefit programs, including Medicare, Medi-Cal and private insurance companies. The false and fraudulent claims included: (1) seeking reimbursement for claims without prescriptions; and (2) seeking reimbursement for the cost of licensed durable medical equipment (known as “DME”) and related prescription medications, benefits, items, and services. In furtherance of the scheme, Mand fabricated DME authorizations, certificates of medical necessity, and related documents, and forged the signatures of physicians and other authorized health care providers of beneficiaries on these documents.
Mand, 30, of San Jose, was indicted by a federal grand jury on June 30, 2011. She was charged with one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1349; six counts of health care fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347; and two counts of obstructing a criminal investigation into health care fraud violations, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1518.
The sentence was handed down by The Honorable Lucy H. Koh, U.S. District Judge, following Mand’s guilty plea. Judge Koh also sentenced Mand to a three-year period of supervised release, and ordered restitution in the amount of $254,906.20. Mand will begin serving the sentence on August 5, 2013.
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