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Anchorage Doctor and Husband Charged with $10M Health Care Fraud and Tax Evasion
A high-profile case of corruption has emerged in Anchorage, Alaska, as a local doctor and her husband have been charged with health care fraud and tax evasion. Claribel Tan, 60, a practicing rheumatologist, and her husband, Daniel Tan, 69, allegedly 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.
According to court documents, the Tans operated Claribel K. Tan MD LLC (CKTMD), a medical clinic in Anchorage, from 2010 to 2023. The indictment alleges that the couple 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 also 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. Daniel Tan is charged with four counts and Claribel Tan is charged with three counts of attempting to evade and defeat tax. The defendants will make their initial court appearance 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.
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 are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The case highlights the need for vigilance in the medical community and the importance of rooting out corruption and abuse of the healthcare system. As the investigation continues, it remains to be seen how the Tans will plead and what the outcome will be.
Key Facts
- State: Alaska
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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