Imran Shams, 66, ran a fraudulent clinic where he bribed Medicaid recipients with cash to undergo medically unnecessary evaluations and tests, according to a Feb. 6 news release from the New York Attorney General’s Office. His scheme involved untrained individuals posing as healthcare professionals to administer the tests, creating the illusion of legitimacy.
Already serving a 13-year federal sentence for related crimes, Mr. Shams pleaded guilty to grand larceny and agreed to pay $7 million in restitution.
Several co-conspirators were also sentenced:
- Bernard Bentley, MD, a radiologist, received probation for fraudulently billing Medicaid over $8 million.
- Tea Kaganovich and Ramazi Mitaishvili were sentenced to prison and ordered to pay over $18 million in restitution.
