ANCHORAGE, Alaska – A federal grand jury in Alaska returned an indictment last week charging an Anchorage doctor and her husband with health care fraud and tax evasion.
Claribel Tan, 60, a practicing rheumatologist, and her husband, Daniel Tan, 69, operated Claribel K. Tan MD LLC (CKTMD), a medical clinic in Anchorage. The indictment alleges that the couple defrauded health care benefit programs by causing the submission of false claims that misrepresented the type and dosage of medication, and the scope of medical services provided to patients.
The indictment also alleges that both defendants deceived patients regarding the necessity of receiving medication at the clinic and created false medical records. In total, the Tans received over $10 million in fraudulently obtained funds. In a separate civil action, the Justice Department seized roughly $8.5 million of those funds from the defendant’s accounts.
The indictment further alleges that the Tans evaded income taxes for 2014, 2015 and 2017 by providing false information to their return preparer that overstated CKTMD’s expenses and filing false tax returns that understated their income. The indictment also alleges that Daniel Tan evaded income taxes for 2016 when he provided the Tans’ accountant with false information for that return.
The indictment further alleges that the Tans did not file tax returns for 2018 through 2021, despite being required to by law. The defendants are each charged with one count of health care fraud and four counts of willful failure to file a tax return. Daniel Tan is charged with four counts and Claribel Tan is charged with three counts of attempting to evade and defeat tax.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska made the announcement. The IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, FBI, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division, Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations and State of Alaska Division of Insurance Investigation Unit are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Dominick Giovanniello of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and Assistant U.S. Attorneys Morgan Walker and Seth Beausang for the District of Alaska are prosecuting the case. The defendants will make their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott A. Oravec of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for health care fraud, five years for each count of tax evasion and one year for each count of failing to file a tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
It’s worth noting that an indictment is merely an allegation, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Related Federal Cases
- Claribel Tan, Medicare Fraud, Anchorage AK, 2023 · Alaska
- Louis Joseph Vadino, Tax Evasion and Passport Fraud, CA, 2023 · Washington
- Amy Evangelista Sentenced to 18 Months for Tax Fraud Scheme, Lathro… · California
- Denae Sullivan, Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, Anchorage… · Alaska
- Ayub Yusuf Eprahin, SNAP Fraud Scheme, Anchorage AK, 2014 · Alaska
Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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