Current:Home > InvestCalifornia man, woman bought gold bars to launder money in $54 million Medicare fraud: Feds-InfoLens
California man, woman bought gold bars to launder money in $54 million Medicare fraud: Feds
View Date:2024-12-23 16:37:37
A Southern California man and woman are accused of defrauding Medicare out of more than $54 million by submitting phony claims for hospice and diagnostic testing services, and laundering the illegal funds by buying millions of dollars worth of gold coins and bars, federal authorities said.
Sophia Shaklian, 36, of Los Angeles, and Alex Alexsanian, 47, of Burbank, were arrested on Wednesday on a 24-count federal grand jury indictment, according to a Justice Department news release. Shaklian is charged with 16 counts of healthcare fraud and four counts of transactional money laundering, while Alexsanian is facing one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and three counts of concealment money laundering, federal prosecutors said.
From March 2019 to August 2024, Shaklian used aliases to submit fraudulent claims for seven healthcare providers enrolled with Medicare in Los Angeles County, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. A hospice company Shaklian owned called Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care and several diagnostic testing companies, including Saint Gorge Radiology and Hope Diagnostics, allegedly submitted the $54 million in bogus claims to Medicare for services that were never provided or needed, according to the release.
Court records show that neither Shaklian nor Alexsanian have legal representation.
How did Shaklian and Alexsanian allegedly launder illegal funds?
Shaklian and Alexsanian received more than $23 million in total for the claims, federal prosecutors said. Shaklian is also accused of laundering the Medicare funds paid to her hospice company by transferring them to accounts under the fake name "Varsenic Babaian," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
Alexsanian allegedly instructed a foreign national to open Saint Gorge Radiology in Sylmar, California, and to acquire Medicare provider Console Hospice, the Justice Department said. Once acquired, Alexsanian took control of the companies, their bank accounts and the foreign national's personal bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors.
Alexsanian also conspired with the foreign national, who has since left the country, and others to have Saint Gorge Radiology and Console Hospice submit phony claims to Medicare for services that were not provided, according to the release. The two bought more than $6 million in gold bars and coins to launder the Medicare reimbursements and funds deposited into their accounts via the "Babaian" identity, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
If convicted, Shaklian will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for each healthcare fraud count and up to 20 years for each money laundering count. Alexsanian could spend up to 20 years in federal prison for each count if found guilty.
veryGood! (28856)
Related
- Man found dead in tanning bed at Indianapolis Planet Fitness; family wants stricter policies
- Celebrity couples keep breaking up. Why do we care so much?
- German intelligence employee and acquaintance charged with treason for passing secrets to Russia
- Russia is turning to old ally North Korea to resupply its arsenal for the war in Ukraine
- The NBA Cup is here. We ranked the best group stage games each night
- Stellantis offers 14.5% pay increase to UAW workers in latest contract negotiation talks
- Mariners' George Kirby gets roasted by former All-Stars after postgame comment
- Puzzlers gather 'round the digital water cooler to talk daily games
- A crowd of strangers brought 613 cakes and then set out to eat them
- Stabbing death of Mississippi inmate appears to be gang-related, official says
Ranking
- Michael Grimm, former House member convicted of tax fraud, is paralyzed in fall from horse
- Israeli army kills 16-year-old Palestinian in West Bank, claiming youths threw explosives
- After steamy kiss on 'Selling the OC,' why are Alex Hall and Tyler Stanaland just 'friends'?
- College football Week 2 highlights: Alabama-Texas score, best action from Saturday
- Sean Diddy Combs' Lawyers File New Motion for Bail, Claiming Evidence Depicts a Consensual Relationship
- Why a nonprofit theater company has made sustainability its mission
- Most of West Maui will welcome back visitors next month under a new wildfire emergency proclamation
- Phoenix has set another heat record by hitting 110 degrees on 54 days this year
Recommendation
-
Democratic state leaders prepare for a tougher time countering Trump in his second term
-
Tribal nations face less accurate, more limited 2020 census data because of privacy methods
-
How Germany stunned USA in FIBA World Cup semifinals and what's next for the Americans
-
Why we love Bards Alley Bookshop: 'Curated literature and whimsical expressions of life'
-
Hill House Home’s Once-A-Year Sale Is Here: Get 30% off Everything & up to 75% off Luxury Dresses
-
'The Fraud' asks questions as it unearths stories that need to be told
-
Exclusive: 25 years later, Mark McGwire still gets emotional reliving 1998 Home Run Chase
-
Live Updates: Morocco struggles after rare, powerful earthquake kills and injures scores of people