The former owner and operator of three medical clinics located in
Los Angeles, Hovik Simitian, 48, was sentenced on January 4, 2016 to 78 months in prison for his role in alleged submission of more than $4.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare. He is not a physician and under California law it is not legal for him to own or control the medical clinics. This was a high sentence given that it was a plea but is indicative of the government's position in demanding long sentences in these federal cases.
The sentence was after Mr. Simitian pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy
to commit health care fraud on Aug. 18, 2015, and was sentenced by U.S.
District Court Judge Beverly Reid O’Connell of the Central District of
California, who also ordered Simitian to pay over $1.6 million in restitution to
Medicare.
Mr. Simitian also admitted that he and his co-conspirators
then billed Medicare for lab tests and other services that were not medically
necessary or were not actually provided to the Medicare beneficiaries, which
they supported with false documentation they created.
Mr. Simitian admitted in his plea agreement that he submitted a total of $4,526,791 in false and fraudulent claims to
Medicare and Medicare paid $1,668,559 on those claims.
Co-defendant Anahit Shatvoryan was sentenced to 51 months after a plea agreement. This was a high sentence considering it was with a 5k1.1 motion by the government for downward departure and acceptance of responsibility.
Attorney Commentary: The special unit and aggressive prosecution of Medicare fraud cases continues. Once the Indictments are filed, the plea negotiations have been difficult and the sentences offered high. Where there are good facts, it may be better to take the cases to trial given the government's position that all billing is fraud. This may have been a weak case but the long sentence even with a plea and in the co-defendant's case with cooperation is an indication that these cases need to be evaluated as early as possible in order to determine defenses and risks following Indictment and trial.
Posted by Tracy Green, Esq.
