Hatem Kaisi, Filing False Income Tax Returns and Medicaid Fraud, Kentucky 2023

LOUISVILLE, KY. – A local resident has been sentenced to 12 months in federal prison for filing false income tax returns and committing Medicaid fraud.

Hatem Kaisi, 52, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Greg Stivers to 12 months and one day imprisonment, followed by three years of supervised release, for filing false federal income tax returns for 2012 through 2014 and one count of healthcare fraud for defrauding the Kentucky Medicaid program.

Kaisi failed to report almost $1 million of income on his tax returns, and admitted to concealing his actual income from the Kentucky Cabinet for Health and Family Services, Department for Medicaid Services, to fraudulently qualify his family for Medicaid benefits.

In the plea agreement, Kaisi admitted to failing to report $961,592 of income on his 2012 through 2014 federal income tax returns filed with the Internal Revenue Service (IRS). He also admitted to concealing over $200,000 of income per year to fraudulently qualify his family for Medicaid benefits, resulting in a loss of approximately $204,842.69 to the Department for Medicaid Services.

Kaisi also agreed to forfeit $347,095 previously seized by the United States from his bank accounts as result of the charged healthcare fraud. The United States agreed to recommend that $204,842.69 of this be applied to the restitution Kaisi owes to the Kentucky Department for Medicaid Services.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorneys Bryan Calhoun and Amy Sullivan. The case was investigated by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations.

Kaisi’s sentence is an important reminder that there are consequences, including jail time, for intentionally filing false tax returns and committing Medicaid fraud. The FBI, the IRS, and their partners will continue to aggressively pursue those who seek to manipulate the system for their own personal financial gain.

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