Houston: Seven including 3 Pakistanis convicted in Medicare fraud

HOUSTON: A Federal jury in Houston has convicted seven including Pakistani doctors on defrauding the Health and Human Services Program of Medicare system for $97 (ninety seven) million dollars. According to details, a Federal jury in Houston has found 7 guilty of running financial scams, given and taking kickbacks and on fraud and deception. The defendants were two owners of a now-defunct mental healthcare facility, Spectrum Care PA, Dr, Physicians Mansour Sanjar, 81, Cyrus Sajadi, 66 , a physician's assistant , Adam Main, 33, as well as administrator of Spectrum, Shokoufeh Hakimi, 66, and Chandra Nunn, 35, a group home owner, Sharonda Holmes 40, a patient recruiter, and Shawn Manney, 51, a group home owner, was convicted for conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and received related count of an illegal kickback; According to sources the Pakistani doctor who owns Spectrum Care was under investigation by FBI and other law enforcement agencies for which FBI filed charges against Dr. Mansoor Sanjar, and six others. According to the charges all these individuals were connected in this fraudulent scheme resulting in 97 Million dollars of financial corruption. The prosecutors informed the court about financial bungling from 2006 to 2011 in which the Spectrum Care, which is an urgent care facility for patients in need of psychological care. The fake medical cases on number of patients were billed to Medicare for which records were missing; moreover the Spectrum Care was not even authorized to conduct these medical practices. A large number of reported patients billed to Medicaid, never received any medical service from Spectrum Care. The convicted individuals were investigated and then charged by FBI as these people were involved in using homeless people with Medicaid coverage for fraudulent billing. These homeless individuals were provided residential apartments in return of their participation in the scam. These homeless people were not in any psychological medical state but were used for fake billing to Medicaid for fake medical assistance. Spectrum Care received a huge amount in Medicaid billing from which a portion was paid in kickbacks and commissions to other participants. According more detailed the $ 97 million dollars were collected by using homeless and unemployed for defrauding the system from which a portion was spent on the food and shelter for these people. The Federal jury has also issued the imprisonment schedule for Sanjar, Sajadi and Nunn are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 8, 2014. Main, Hakimi, Holmes and Manney are scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 15, 2014. - As per Department of Justice - Office of Public Affairs The case was investigated by the FBI, HHS-OIG, Texas MFCU, RRB-OIG and OPM-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division's Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Texas. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Chief Laura M.K. Cordova and Trial Attorneys Jonathan T. Baum and William S.W. Chang of the Fraud Section. Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged more than 1,700 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $5.5 billion. In addition, HHS's Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.