One Of 15 Charged In FBI Cases
A Rego Park medical office manager and the owner of a Queens ambulette service are among 15 individuals been charged for their alleged participation in three separate schemes that falsely billed the Medicare and Medicaid programs for more than $23 million, federal officials announced.
The charges filed in Brooklyn and Central Islip, N.Y., are part of a nationwide takedown by the Federal Biureau of Investigation (FBI) Medicare Fraud Strike Force operations that led to charges against 92 individuals for their alleged participation in schemes to collectively submit approximately $432 million in fraudulent claims.
Yevgeniy Pikus, 64, the office manager of a medical clinic in his hometown of Rego Park, and Rafik Gavrielov, 40, the owner of the Mega-Line ambulette service, were charged with conspiring to pay cash kickbacks to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries.
As alleged in the criminal complaint, Pikus’ clinic purported to provide physical therapy and diagnostic tests to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries and used at least two am- bulette services to transport the beneficiaries to and from their residences for medical appointments.
To induce beneficiaries to use their medical and ambulette services, the defendants paid the beneficiaries cash kickbacks, in violation of the federal anti-kickback statute. As a result of this scheme, Medicare reimbursed the defendants approximately $3 million for the purported services provided to the beneficiaries who received the kickbacks.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney William Campos. The defendants were arraigned on Thursday, Oct. 4 before United States Magistrate Judge Robert M. Levy at the U.S. Courthouse in Brooklyn.
“Doctors, chiropractors, and other medical professionals who defraud Medicare and Medicaid are on notice that they will be investigated and prosecuted. Moreover, futile efforts of concealment-by obstructing justice and paying hush money-will only serve to increase the potential penalties for those crimes,” stated U.S. Attorney Loretta E. Lynch of the Eastern District of New York. “We will spare no effort to bring to justice those who would personally profit at the expense of some of our most needy at a cost ultimately borne by all taxpayers.”
Lynch extended her appreciation to the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General, New York Attorney General’s Office, New York State Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, New York State Department of Financial Services, New York City Police Department, and New York City Human Resources Administration for their assistance in the investigations in this district.
In the other cases, nine individuals, including the manager and the medical director of Cropsey Medical Care PLCC, a health care clinic located in Brooklyn, were indicted in connection with an alleged health care fraud and money laundering scheme, and four licensed chiropractors were indicted for committing Medicare fraud and aggravated identity theft related to a chiropractic practice based in Woodmere, N.Y.
The Brooklyn and Long Island cases were announced by Lynch of the Eastern District of New York, along with FBI New York Field Office Acting Assistant Director in Charge; Mary E. Galligan and Thomas O’Donnell, Special Agent in Charge of the federal Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Office of Investigations in New York.
The results of the nationwide takedown were announced Oct. 4 by Attorney General Eric H. Holder, Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division, FBI Associate Deputy Director Kevin Perkins, Inspector General Daniel R. Levinson of the HHS Office of Inspector General, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Deputy Administrator for Program Integrity Dr. Peter Budetti.
It was noted that the charges are merely allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
