A Detroit-area physical therapist assistant was sentenced to 50 months in prison for his role in a $14.9 million Medicare fraud scheme, authorities announced.
Jigar Patel, 31, of Madison Heights, Michigan, was sentenced by U.S. District Judge Terrence G. Berg in the Eastern District of Michigan.
Patel was convicted of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, two counts of health care fraud, and one count of money laundering, along with co-defendants Srinivas Reddy and Shahzad Mirza.
According to evidence presented at trial, the defendants used four home health care companies to fraudulently bill Medicare for home health care services that were never provided.
Through those companies, the defendants paid kickbacks to recruiters for the referral of Medicare beneficiaries, who were then paid cash and promised access to unnecessary prescriptions for painkillers and other narcotics.
As a result of the defendants’ fraudulent conduct, Medicare paid nearly $15 million.
Patel was also ordered to pay $1.9 million in restitution.
The case is being investigated by the HHS-OIG and the FBI and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force.
Patel’s sentencing comes after a federal jury convicted him and his co-defendants in April 2014.
The charges contained in an indictment are merely accusations, and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Related Federal Cases
- Kim Duron Mulder, Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud, Michigan 2014 · Michigan
- Timothy Darnel Keith, Conspiracy to Commit Access Device Fraud, Michigan 2023 · Michigan
- Mehul Chandubhai Patel, Wage Underreporting, Michigan 2016 · Michigan
- Aria O Sabit, Health Care Fraud, Michigan 2024 · Washington
- Kiara Nicole Hall, Wire Fraud, Michigan 2017 · Florida
Key Facts
- State: Federal
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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