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ARMENIAN NATIONAL SENTENCED TO 41 MONTHS IN PRISON FOR ROLE IN HEALTH CARE FRAUD CONSPIRACY
Yumanewsnow
March 13 2013
Published on Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:27
Written by YNN
Washington, DC - Khoren Gasparian, 30, an Armenian national, was
sentenced last Friday by Chief United States District Court Judge Lisa
Godbey Wood to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to
defraud Medicare through phony medical businesses in Savannah, Georgia.
Gasparian, who at the time of these offenses was in the United States
on an expired visa from Armenia, previously pleaded guilty to a
conspiracy to defraud Medicare. According to the evidence presented
at Gasparian's guilty plea and sentencing hearings:
>From 2008 through 2010, Gasparian and others opened medical equipment
companies in Savannah, Georgia, known as Healthy Family, SOJ Group,
and Savana Medical. Once opened, Gasparian and his cohorts stole
the identities of hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries; stole the
identities of dozens of doctors; and used this stolen information to
submit hundreds of thousands of dollars in phony claims to Medicare
for health care services that were never provided. Gasparian and
others used the stolen identities of doctors and patients from multiple
different states, including Alaska, California, New York, and Ohio and
even submitted claims for people that were dead at the time they were
alleged to have been provided medical equipment. Gasparian was also
connected with at least two other phony health care businesses located
in California and New Mexico. He was responsible for approximately
$1 million worth of fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, "Medicare fraud affects
every American taxpayer. The United States Attorney's Office has
aggressively pursued healthcare fraudsters from around the world who've
attempted to set up shop here in the Southern District of Georgia. The
risk of detection is high for those who submit fraudulent claims to
Medicare and the penalty will be substantial."
"Criminals who steal from federal health care programs and taxpayers
will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Derrick L.
Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Office of Inspector General for the Atlanta region.
"The Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners
will continue to aggressively pursue these thieves to ensure they
are held accountable."
Mark F. Giuliano, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office,
stated, "The FBI will continue to work with its various law enforcement
partners to identify, investigate, and bring forward for prosecution
those individuals such as Mr. Gasparian who would steal funds from
much needed federal programs such as Medicare."
In addition to being sentenced to 41 months in prison, Gasparian was
ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $182,735 and to serve
three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison
sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. At the time of
his guilty plea in Georgia, Gasparian was serving a prison sentence
based on his guilty plea to a health care fraud offense in the United
States District Court for the District of New Mexico. After Gasparian
finishes serving his prison sentences, he will face immigration
proceedings that will likely result in his deportation to Armenia.
The prosecution of Gasparian in the Southern District of Georgia is
part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving more than $200
million worth of phony claims submitted to Medicare. More than 35
defendants were arrested as part of this investigation. In addition
to the Southern District of Georgia, numerous charges were filed in
New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Albuquerque.
The investigation in the Southern District of Georgia was the result
of a multi-agency team of federal, state, and local agents, led by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Health
and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General (HHS/OIG), and
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working together to combat
health care fraud. Assistant United States Attorney Brian T. Rafferty
prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional
information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney
James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.
http://www.yumanewsnow.com/index.php/news/latest/2602-armenian-national-sentenced-to-41-months-in-prison-for-role-in-health-care-fraud-conspiracy
Yumanewsnow
March 13 2013
Published on Tuesday, 12 March 2013 21:27
Written by YNN
Washington, DC - Khoren Gasparian, 30, an Armenian national, was
sentenced last Friday by Chief United States District Court Judge Lisa
Godbey Wood to 41 months in prison for his role in a conspiracy to
defraud Medicare through phony medical businesses in Savannah, Georgia.
Gasparian, who at the time of these offenses was in the United States
on an expired visa from Armenia, previously pleaded guilty to a
conspiracy to defraud Medicare. According to the evidence presented
at Gasparian's guilty plea and sentencing hearings:
>From 2008 through 2010, Gasparian and others opened medical equipment
companies in Savannah, Georgia, known as Healthy Family, SOJ Group,
and Savana Medical. Once opened, Gasparian and his cohorts stole
the identities of hundreds of Medicare beneficiaries; stole the
identities of dozens of doctors; and used this stolen information to
submit hundreds of thousands of dollars in phony claims to Medicare
for health care services that were never provided. Gasparian and
others used the stolen identities of doctors and patients from multiple
different states, including Alaska, California, New York, and Ohio and
even submitted claims for people that were dead at the time they were
alleged to have been provided medical equipment. Gasparian was also
connected with at least two other phony health care businesses located
in California and New Mexico. He was responsible for approximately
$1 million worth of fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare.
United States Attorney Edward J. Tarver said, "Medicare fraud affects
every American taxpayer. The United States Attorney's Office has
aggressively pursued healthcare fraudsters from around the world who've
attempted to set up shop here in the Southern District of Georgia. The
risk of detection is high for those who submit fraudulent claims to
Medicare and the penalty will be substantial."
"Criminals who steal from federal health care programs and taxpayers
will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law," said Derrick L.
Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, Office of Inspector General for the Atlanta region.
"The Office of Inspector General and our law enforcement partners
will continue to aggressively pursue these thieves to ensure they
are held accountable."
Mark F. Giuliano, Special Agent in Charge, FBI Atlanta Field Office,
stated, "The FBI will continue to work with its various law enforcement
partners to identify, investigate, and bring forward for prosecution
those individuals such as Mr. Gasparian who would steal funds from
much needed federal programs such as Medicare."
In addition to being sentenced to 41 months in prison, Gasparian was
ordered to pay restitution in the amount of $182,735 and to serve
three years of supervised release upon completion of his prison
sentence. There is no parole in the federal system. At the time of
his guilty plea in Georgia, Gasparian was serving a prison sentence
based on his guilty plea to a health care fraud offense in the United
States District Court for the District of New Mexico. After Gasparian
finishes serving his prison sentences, he will face immigration
proceedings that will likely result in his deportation to Armenia.
The prosecution of Gasparian in the Southern District of Georgia is
part of a multi-jurisdictional investigation involving more than $200
million worth of phony claims submitted to Medicare. More than 35
defendants were arrested as part of this investigation. In addition
to the Southern District of Georgia, numerous charges were filed in
New York, Los Angeles, Cleveland, and Albuquerque.
The investigation in the Southern District of Georgia was the result
of a multi-agency team of federal, state, and local agents, led by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Department of Health
and Human Services-Office of the Inspector General (HHS/OIG), and
Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), working together to combat
health care fraud. Assistant United States Attorney Brian T. Rafferty
prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States. For additional
information, please contact First Assistant United States Attorney
James D. Durham at (912) 201-2547.
http://www.yumanewsnow.com/index.php/news/latest/2602-armenian-national-sentenced-to-41-months-in-prison-for-role-in-health-care-fraud-conspiracy