Hovakim David Mkhitarian, Health Insurance Fraud, North Dakota 2014

FARGO – A California man has been sentenced to prison for his role in a massive health insurance fraud scheme that bilked Medicare out of millions of dollars.

Hovakim David Mkhitarian, 31, of Glendale, California, was sentenced on September 3, 2014 to serve 7 months in prison and 7 months electronic home monitoring for his role in the conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Mkhitarian was also ordered to pay $2,000 in restitution and a $100 special assessment to the Crime Victims Fund.

The scheme, which was based out of Los Angeles, recruited foreign students who were traveling in the United States on summer work visas. The students were used to open up bank accounts and commercial mail boxes for dozens of phantom medical clinics.

After the students returned home, conspirators submitted fictitious claims to Medicare using wrongfully-obtained physician billing numbers and thousands of Medicare numbers.

The scheme resulted in the submission of in excess of $13 million of fraudulent claims to Medicare and caused over $3 million in losses to the program.

The case was jointly investigated by the Office of Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services, and the United States Diplomatic Security Service, Department of State.

Special Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Greenley prosecuted the case.

Mkhitarian pleaded guilty on September 25, 2013 and was a mid-level participant involved in the day-to-day operation of the scheme.

Two co-conspirators, Tigran Yusufyan and Hovakim John Mkhitarian, also pleaded guilty today to charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Sentencing for Yusufyan will be held on December 8, 2014, at 11:00 a.m. and sentencing for Hovakim John Mkhitarian will be on February 23, 2015, at 1:30 p.m. in U.S. District Court.

A fourth member of the conspiracy, Levon Gevorgyan, is scheduled to be sentenced for his role in the offense on November 10, 2014, at 2:15 p.m.

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