52 arrested in sweeping Medicare fraud case

[Scurrilous]

The defendants, largely from L.A. and New York, allegedly are part of an Armenian organized crime outfit. Feds say they stole doctors' and patients' identities and submitted $160 million in bogus claims.

<snip>

"Authorities arrested more than two dozen Los Angeles-area residents early Wednesday for their alleged roles in a nationwide scheme to bilk Medicare out of more than $160 million.

The investigation, dubbed Diagnosis Dollars, resulted in the arrests of 52 people across the U.S. in what authorities described as "the largest Medicare fraud scheme ever perpetrated by a single criminal enterprise."

The defendants allegedly are members or associates of an Armenian "organized crime enterprise" known as Mirzoyan-Terdjanian, according to federal law enforcement officials. They allegedly stole doctors' identities and used the information to enroll the phantom physicians as providers in Medicare, authorities alleged.

They then set up bogus offices and, using stolen beneficiary information, began billing for procedures that never occurred, according to a Department of Justice news release. Nationwide, the ring operated at least 118 phony clinics in 25 states and billed Medicare for some $163 million, officials said."

http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-me-healthcare-fraud-raid-20101014,0,7387144.story

[Number23]

1. Damn Armenians!

I'm kidding, I'm kidding. :)

Thanks for the heads up, Scurrilous. Rec'd

[thunder rising]

2. Damn libruls. Wow, shutting down a small enterprising business.

They should have been given the Freedom award.

[kickysnana]

4. +1

[malaise]

3. Throw away the keys

I'm sick of people ripping off the government

[lib2DaBone]

5. They arrest people for Medicare fraud?

Don't tell Rick Scott. He's running for Gov of Florida and the Repukes LOVE him...

[hunter]

6. And Medical Insurance Corporate Executives kill people without consequence.

In the USA money is more important than people's lives.