In a major health care fraud case, two California residents have pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicare of nearly $16 million through a complex scheme involving sham hospice companies. The defendants—Karpis Srapyan and Susanna Harutyunyan—admitted to participating in a multi-year conspiracy that involved billing Medicare for hospice services that were neither necessary nor provided. The operation utilized four fake hospice companies, often under the names of foreign nationals or even deceased doctors, to disguise the fraud and avoid detection.
Court documents reveal that Srapyan, along with co-defendants Petros Fichidzhyan and Juan Carlos Esparza, orchestrated the scheme by misusing personal identifying information to open bank accounts and sign leases. They submitted falsified Medicare documentation to secure fraudulent payments. In total, Medicare paid nearly $16 million to these fraudulent hospice companies. The group then laundered the proceeds through a web of financial transactions using fake identities and foreign-owned accounts.
The money laundering component of the operation was equally sophisticated. Harutyunyan, who lived with another co-defendant and her husband, Mihran Panosyan, helped maintain fake IDs, bank records, and checkbooks. Funds were funneled through various channels and used for personal luxuries, including a BMW vehicle. Investigators traced more than $3.2 million in suspicious transactions carried out by Srapyan alone.
Srapyan has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering, facing up to 20 years in prison. Harutyunyan pleaded guilty to money laundering and could be sentenced to up to 10 years and potentially face deportation. Several other co-defendants have also entered guilty pleas, with sentences ranging from upcoming hearings to a 12-year prison term already imposed on Fichidzhyan.
Cases like this underscore the Justice Department’s aggressive efforts to crack down on health care fraud, particularly in the hospice sector. The FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General continue to investigate these schemes, working in tandem with the Health Care Fraud Strike Force. Individuals charged with similar crimes face serious consequences, including lengthy prison terms, steep financial penalties, asset forfeiture, and immigration repercussions.
If you are concerned about an accusation of medicare fraud or healthcare fraud that may result in serious federal consequences, please don’t hesitate to contact the experienced healthcare fraud attorneys at Dhar Law, LLP today at (617) 880-6155.
