The seven cases involve DME company owners and marketers who are accused of engaging in a variety of schemes that defrauded the Medicare program. The charging documents outline criminal schemes involving the fraudulent ordering of power wheelchairs, orthotics and hospital beds.
Michael Martinez of Long Beach, Calif., and six other defendants were charged with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and for making false statements to the government. Mr. Martinez allegedly recruited relatives and individuals linked to the Santa Ana, Calif.-based Brook Street Gang to act as the owners for four fraudulent DME companies. The six other defendants allegedly each received around $5,000 from an associate of Mr. Martinez to act as the nominal owners of the fraudulent DME companies, so they could deceive Medicare by concealing the true identities of those who actually owned the companies. The indictment alleges that as part of the conspiracy, the fraudulent DME companies — Mercy Medical Supplies, Chatsworth Medical Equipment, All Your Needs Healthcare Products and Global Meridian Management— submitted approximately $11.2 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for medically unnecessary power wheelchairs and orthotic devices. If convicted on all counts in the indictment, Mr. Martinez faces a maximum statutory penalty of 75 years in federal prison and the other six defendants each face maximum sentences of 15 years in prison.
In a separate case, the owners of four DME companies and two of their employees were arrested on Oct.15 after being indicted for allegedly submitting more than $12 million in false claims to Medicare for power wheelchairs, orthotics and other medical equipment that the conspirators either did not supply, supplied to beneficiaries who did not need the equipment or allegedly supplied to deceased beneficiaries. Christopher Iruke of Los Angeles, the owner of Pascon Medical Supply, and employee Darawn Vasquez of Inglewood, Calif., are alleged to have acquired fraudulent prescriptions and documents from individuals who recruited Medicare beneficiaries or were associated with fraudulent medical clinics. Mr. Iruke, Ms. Vasquez and Mr. Iruke’s wife, Connie Ikpoh, also of Los Angeles, as well as Jummal Joy Ibrahim of Las Vegas and Asia Fowler of Pacoima, Calif. — who were the alleged owners of Horizon Medical Equipment and Supply, Contempo Medical Equipment and Ladera Medical Equipment — are alleged to have used the fraudulent prescriptions and documents Mr. Iruke and Ms. Vasquez acquired to submit approximately $12.1 million in false claims to Medicare. The indictment charges a sixth defendant, Aura Marroquin of Los Angeles, with participating in the scheme. If convicted on the charges alleged in the indictment, the six defendants face maximum possible sentences ranging from 50-180 years in federal prison. A trial in this case has been scheduled for Nov. 24.
Maria Nela Moreno of Parlier, Calif., was indicted along with a codefendant for allegedly conspiring to submit approximately $828,835 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary power wheelchairs through a DME company in Canoga Park, Calif. These two defendants also are charged with six counts of submitting false claims to the Medicare program. Ms. Moreno faces a maximum possible sentence of 70 years in prison if convicted on all charged counts.
Anait Garanfilyan of Los Angeles was also arrested after being indicted on multiple counts related to the payment of illegal kickbacks for Medicare patient referrals to two medical clinics in Los Angeles between Feb. 2005 and May 2006. If convicted on all charged counts, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in prison.
Mariya Bagdasaryan and Edgar Srapyan, both of Glendale, Calif., were indicted on charges of conspiring to commit healthcare fraud from Oct. 2007-Dec. 2008. Ms. Bagdasaryan operated a fraudulent DME company called Goldberg Medical Supply and allegedly submitted approximately $779,028 in false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary power wheelchairs and wheelchair accessories. She is also charged with paying illegal kickbacks for the referral of Medicare patients to Goldberg Medical Supply. Mr. Srapyan, though a fraudulent DME company, True Care Medical Supply, is alleged to have submitted approximately $647,356 in false claims to Medicare for unnecessary power wheelchairs and wheelchair accessories. If convicted on all charged counts, Ms. Bagdasaryan faces a maximum sentence of 90 years in prison, and Mr. Srapyan faces a maximum sentence of 50 years.
Adejare Ademefun of Inglewood, Calif., was indicted for allegedly conspiring with others to submit more than $850,000 in false claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary power wheelchairs. The defendant is charged with one count of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud and five counts of healthcare fraud. If convicted on all charged counts, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of 60 years in prison.
Sylvester Ijewere of Arleta, Calif., was named in a criminal complaint charging him with one count of healthcare fraud. Mr. Ijewere is associated with a DME company called Maydads that allegedly was used to submit nearly $500,000 in false claims to Medicare. If convicted, Mr. Ijewere faces a maximum possible sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
The case was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, supervised by Deputy Chief Kirk Ogrosky of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Acting U.S. Attorney for the Central District of California George S. Cardona.
Read the DOJ release on the 20 indictments for Medicare fraud.
