Close X
Saturday, January 11, 2025
ADVT 
International

Indian-American convicted in $463 mn healthcare fraud

Darpan News Desk IANS, 15 Dec, 2022 11:50 AM
  • Indian-American convicted in $463 mn healthcare fraud

New York, Dec 15 (IANS) An Indian-American lab owner has been convicted for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting over $463 million in genetic and other laboratory tests that patients did not need.

According to court documents and evidence presented at the trial on Wednesday, Atlanta-based Minal Patel, 44, owned LabSolutions LLC -- a lab enrolled with Medicare that performed sophisticated genetic tests. From July 2016 to August 2019, LabSolutions submitted more than $463 million in claims to Medicare, including for medically unnecessary genetic tests, of which Medicare paid over $187 million, according to the US Department of Justice.

In that timeframe, Patel personally received over $21 million in Medicare proceeds.

He conspired with patient brokers, telemedicine companies, and call centres to target Medicare beneficiaries with telemarketing calls falsely stating that Medicare covered expensive cancer genetic tests.

After the Medicare beneficiaries agreed to take a test, Patel paid kickbacks and bribes to patient brokers to obtain signed doctors' orders authorising the tests from telemedicine companies, a Department of Justice statement noted.

To conceal the kickbacks, Patel required patient brokers to sign contracts that falsely stated that they were performing legitimate advertising services for LabSolutions.

The telemedicine doctors approved the expensive testing even though they were not treating the beneficiaries and often did not even speak with them, the statement said.

The federal jury in the Southern District of Florida convicted Patel of one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and wire fraud, three counts of healthcare fraud, one count of conspiracy to defraud the US and to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks.

He was also convicted of four counts of paying illegal health care kickbacks, and one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Patel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, next year, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison on the first conspiracy count, 10 years on each health care fraud count, five years on the second conspiracy count, 10 years on each kickback count, and 20 years on the third conspiracy count.

MORE International ARTICLES

Indian-Origin Man Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Us Dept Of Veterans Affairs With $29 Million

Indian-Origin Man Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Us Dept Of Veterans Affairs With $29 Million
An Indian-origin owner of a local technical training school in San Diego pleaded guilty to defrauding the US Department of Veterans Affairs out of more than US$ 29 million in education benefits meant for veterans.

Indian-Origin Man Pleads Guilty To Defrauding Us Dept Of Veterans Affairs With $29 Million

My Grandfather Was Ready To Kill Me To Save Me From Worse: Columnist Sunanda Vashisht Recalls Kashmiri Pandits' Nightmare

Kashmir Witnessed ISIS-Level Horror Before The West Was Apprised On It: Columnist Sunanda Vashisht

My Grandfather Was Ready To Kill Me To Save Me From Worse: Columnist Sunanda Vashisht Recalls Kashmiri Pandits' Nightmare

Indian-American Beauty Queen Shree Saini Raises Funds For Drug Awareness

An Indian-American student and anti-bullying activist who was crowned Miss World America Washington, was on a quest to raise $1 million for drug addiction and suicide prevention awareness.

Indian-American Beauty Queen Shree Saini Raises Funds For Drug Awareness

17 York Road: Where Nehru Used To Meet Edwina (Nov 14 Is Jawaharlal Nehru's B'day)

When India got freedom on August 15, 1947, Pt. Nehru went to Red Fort to address the nation from this 17 York Road. 17 York Road was used as his headquarters during the whole period of negotiations for India's independence.

17 York Road: Where Nehru Used To Meet Edwina (Nov 14 Is Jawaharlal Nehru's B'day)

FBI Report Shows 200% Hike In Anti-Sikh Hate Crimes

Anti-Sikh hate crime in the US increased by 200 per cent since 2017, making Sikhs the third most commonly targeted religious group in America, the Federal Bureau of Investigations (FBI) annual report for hate crime in 2018 has showed.

FBI Report Shows 200% Hike In Anti-Sikh Hate Crimes

UK's Conservatives Promise To Cut 'Immigration Overall'

The UK Home Secretary Priti Patel has said that the ruling Conservatives would reduce "immigration overall" to the country after Brexit if they won the December 12 general election.

UK's Conservatives Promise To Cut 'Immigration Overall'