Indian National Pleads Guilty in $11.5 Million Healthcare Fraud Case in US – News18

An Indian national, who owns a marketing company in India has pleaded guilty to a massive USD 11.5 million healthcare fraud, Attorney for the United States Vikas Khanna announced Thursday.

Chintan Anjaria pleaded guilty on October 31, before a US District Judge in Newark federal court to information charging him with conspiracy to violate the Federal Anti-Kickback statute and conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

“In total, Anjaria and his conspirators caused a loss to Medicare of more than $11.5 million. The conspiracy to commit health care fraud count is punishable by a maximum of 10 years in prison and the conspiracy to pay illegal kickbacks is punishable by a maximum of five years in prison. Both counts are also punishable by a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense, whichever is greatest,” the US Attorney’s Office, District of New Jersey said in a press statement, published by the Justice Department.

Anjaria sentencing is scheduled for March 12. According to court documents from February 2017 to May 2022, Anjaria participated in a kickback and bribery scheme with orthotic brace supply companies, telemedicine companies, and testing laboratories, resulting in the submission of false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.

Anjaria controlled a marketing company in India through which he and his conspirators identified Medicare beneficiaries to target for orthotic braces and cancer genetic tests (CGX). Employees of the company called beneficiaries and pressured them to agree to accept orthotic braces and/or CGX, regardless of medical necessity, federal prosecutors said.

US prosecutors alleged that Anjaria and his company paid kickbacks to telemedicine companies to obtain doctor’s orders for the orthotic braces and CGX tests. Anjaria then steered the doctor’s orders to orthotic brace suppliers and testing laboratories located in the US, with which Anjaria and his company had additional kickback arrangements.

The orthotic brace suppliers and laboratories submitted claims for reimbursement to Medicare, and thereafter sent a portion of the proceeds to Anjaria and his company as payment for the doctor’s orders generated through the conspiracy.