Con Artist Behind ‘Ghost’ Medical Clinic in South Carolina Sentenced to 57 Months in Prison
Columbia, South Carolina – In a major blow to transnational criminal organizations, Karo Gotti Blkhoyan, a/k/a “Gotti,” age 34, of Glendale, California, was sentenced last week in federal court in Columbia, South Carolina, for Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, a violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1956(h).
Senior United States District Judge Cameron McGowan Currie of Columbia sentenced Blkhoyan to 57 months and three years of supervised release. Blkhoyan was a fugitive for approximately two years, when he was arrested at the San Francisco International Airport attempting to re-enter the country.
Evidence presented established that the conspiracy was a transnational criminal organization that established a “ghost” medical clinic in South Carolina using stolen information from a South Carolina doctor. Members of the conspiracy enrolled the clinic in Medicare, established bank accounts, linked the bank accounts to a fictitious address which was a mailbox store, registered the clinic with the South Carolina Secretary of State, and began to bill Medicare.
All together, the “ghost” clinic billed Medicare over 1.1 million dollars, with Medicare paying approximately $350,000 worth of claims. The money that was paid was laundered through Southern Californian banks and shell businesses by members of the conspiracy.
United States Attorney, Bill Nettles, stated “When the rich take things that don’t belong to them they want us to call it fraud. But let’s be clear, it is stealing, it is wrong and against the law. He stole from all of us. We will continue to aggressively prosecute those who steal from us. Let there be no doubt about that.”
The case was investigated by agents of the HHS OIG, IRS CID, and FBI. Assistant United States Attorney Jim May of the Columbia office prosecuted the case.
Related Federal Cases
- Brandon Lee Davis, Wire Fraud, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, South Carolina 2024 · Colorado
- Reginald Glenn Patterson, Drug Conspiracy and Money Laundering, North Carolina 2003 · North Carolina
- Samer Jamil Rashid, Marijuana and Money Laundering Conspiracy, Florida 2016 · Florida
- Omar Sexton, Cocaine Conspiracy, South Carolina 2024 · South Carolina
- Omar Sexton, Cocaine Conspiracy, South Carolina 2024 · South Carolina
Key Facts
- State: South Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime|Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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