Medicare Scam

⏱ 2 min read

Sophia Shaklian, a 38-year-old woman from the Larchmont area of Los Angeles, has been sentenced to 35 months in federal prison for her role in a massive Medicare scam. From March 2019 to August 2024, Shaklian and her co-schemers used multiple bogus hospice and diagnostic testing providers enrolled with Medicare to submit fraudulent claims, conning the system out of over $14 million. The scheme involved using aliases and fake companies to bill Medicare for unnecessary or non-existent services, including hospice care and diagnostic testing.

The companies involved in the scam included Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care, Saint Gorge Radiology, Hope Diagnostics, Direct Imaging & Diagnostics, Lab One, Labtech, and Lifescan Diagnostics. Shaklian and her co-schemers used the information of Medicare beneficiaries to submit false claims, checking their eligibility to ensure they could get away with the scam. In one example, a false claim for $2,000 was submitted in November 2022 for diagnostic testing that was never provided.

Shaklian pleaded guilty to one count of health care fraud in November 2025 and was sentenced by United States District Judge Stanley Blumenfeld Jr. In addition to her prison sentence, she was ordered to pay $14,103,043 in restitution. The case highlights the ongoing problem of Medicare fraud and the need for increased vigilance to protect the system from scammers.

The sentence is a significant blow to those involved in the scam, and it serves as a warning to others who would seek to exploit the Medicare system for their own gain. The FBI and other law enforcement agencies will continue to investigate and prosecute those involved in Medicare fraud, working to protect the integrity of the system and ensure that those who need it most receive the care they deserve.