Indian American lab proprietor convicted in USD 447 million genetic testing rip-off
By PTI
WASHINGTON: An Indian American laboratory proprietor from Atlanta has been convicted of involvement in a USD 447.54 million genetic testing rip-off to defraud Medicare.
Minal Patel, 44, who owns LabSolutions LLC conspired with affected person brokers, telemedicine corporations and name centres to focus on Medicare beneficiaries with telemarketing calls falsely stating that their package deal lined costly most cancers genetic assessments, federal prosecutors alleged.
After the Medicare beneficiaries agreed to take assessments, Patel paid kickbacks and bribes to affected person brokers to acquire signed docs’ orders authorising the assessments from telemedicine corporations, the Department of Justice mentioned.
To conceal the kickbacks, Patel required the affected person brokers to signal contracts that falsely acknowledged that they have been performing official promoting companies for LabSolutions.
A federal court docket in Florida has convicted Patel of 1 rely of conspiracy to commit well being care fraud and wire fraud, three counts of well being care fraud, one rely of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and obtain unlawful well being care kickbacks, 4 counts of paying unlawful well being care kickbacks, and one rely of conspiracy to commit cash laundering.
Patel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2023, and faces a most penalty of 20 years in jail on the primary conspiracy rely, 10 years on every well being care fraud rely, 5 years on the second conspiracy rely, 10 years on every kickback rely, and 20 years on the third conspiracy rely, a media launch mentioned.
WASHINGTON: An Indian American laboratory proprietor from Atlanta has been convicted of involvement in a USD 447.54 million genetic testing rip-off to defraud Medicare.
Minal Patel, 44, who owns LabSolutions LLC conspired with affected person brokers, telemedicine corporations and name centres to focus on Medicare beneficiaries with telemarketing calls falsely stating that their package deal lined costly most cancers genetic assessments, federal prosecutors alleged.
After the Medicare beneficiaries agreed to take assessments, Patel paid kickbacks and bribes to affected person brokers to acquire signed docs’ orders authorising the assessments from telemedicine corporations, the Department of Justice mentioned.
To conceal the kickbacks, Patel required the affected person brokers to signal contracts that falsely acknowledged that they have been performing official promoting companies for LabSolutions.
A federal court docket in Florida has convicted Patel of 1 rely of conspiracy to commit well being care fraud and wire fraud, three counts of well being care fraud, one rely of conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and obtain unlawful well being care kickbacks, 4 counts of paying unlawful well being care kickbacks, and one rely of conspiracy to commit cash laundering.
Patel is scheduled to be sentenced on March 7, 2023, and faces a most penalty of 20 years in jail on the primary conspiracy rely, 10 years on every well being care fraud rely, 5 years on the second conspiracy rely, 10 years on every kickback rely, and 20 years on the third conspiracy rely, a media launch mentioned.
