Five people have been arrested in Los Angeles for their alleged involvement in a multiyear scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $15 million through phony hospice companies.
The defendants, who were taken into custody Thursday, June 6, used the foreign nationals’ identifying information to open bank accounts and sign property leases. Fichidzhyan made phone calls to Medicare, and submitted false and fraudulent claims for hospice services, prosecutors said in a statement. Fichidzhyan, Esparza and Srapyan, along with co-defendants Susanna Harutyunyan, 38, and Mihran Panosyan, 45, both of Winnetka, allegedly laundered Medicare proceeds to purchase real estate, vehicles and other items, prosecutors said.
The FBI and the Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services investigated the case.