A Medicare fraud scheme operated by a Southern California duo involving multiple local medical facilities, foreign nationals, fake bank accounts, and laundering millions of dollars with gold in a Glendale apartment has been uncovered by prosecutors.
Operation Details
Larchmont-area resident Sophia Shaklian, 36, and Alex Alexsanian, 47, of Burbank, are accused of submitting over $54 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for hospice and diagnostic testing services that were never provided. They then illegally laundered the $23 million they received in reimbursements, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California and the indictment.
Gold Laundering
As part of their scheme, around $6 million in gold bars and coins were purchased and moved through an apartment a few blocks from The Americana at Brand in Glendale, as stated in the indictment.
Arrest and Indictment
The duo was arrested on Wednesday and indicted on 24 counts by a federal grand jury for incidents spanning the last five years.
Healthcare Providers Involvement
Shaklian, who frequently used aliases, submitted Medicare claims on behalf of seven healthcare providers in Los Angeles County, including a hospice company she owned, the Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care in Pasadena. Claims were made for services on behalf of beneficiaries who never actually received the services, with the fraudulent claims totaling $54 million submitted between March 2019 and August 2024.
Money Laundering
Shaklian allegedly laundered some of the $23 million in Medicare reimbursements by transferring them to accounts held under a fake identity
Conspiracy and Accusations
Alexsanian is accused of instructing a foreign national to open a medical facility in Sylmar and acquire a practice in Van Nuys, two locations where Shaklian submitted false claims. He then had control over the facilities’ bank accounts and conspired to launder Medicare reimbursements to buy gold bars and coins.
Charges
Shaklian faces 16 counts of healthcare fraud and four counts of transactional money laundering after an investigation from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the FBI. Alexsanian is charged with one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and three counts of concealment money laundering.
Insight:
It is alarming to see the extent to which individuals will go to commit healthcare fraud, including using fake identities and laundering money through unconventional means like purchasing gold. This case highlights the need for increased diligence and oversight in the healthcare industry to prevent and detect fraudulent activities that ultimately harm patients and taxpayers.
