The mastermind of a massive healthcare fraud who looted $100 million from Medicare and Medicaid through false insurance claims has been found guilty by a federal jury.
After a two-week trial, Aleksandr Pikus was convicted on charges of money laundering, conspiring to rip off the federal government and conspiring to receive healthcare kickbacks.
The 44-year-old man from Brooklyn will be sentenced on April 8, 2020, the Department of Justice said.
According to evidence presented at trial, Pikus and his co-conspirators operated for nearly a decade a series of medical clinics in Brooklyn and Queens that submitted approximately $96 million in medical claims.
The clinics employed doctors, physical and occupational therapists, and other medical professionals who were enrolled in the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
In return for illegal kickbacks, Pikus and his team members referred beneficiaries to these health care providers, who submitted claims to the Medicare and Medicaid programs.
Pikus then laundered a substantial portion of those proceeds through companies he and his co-conspirators controlled, including by cashing checks at several New York City check-cashing businesses.These incomes were never reported to the IRS.
Pikus used to pay kickbacks to patient recruiters, including ambulance drivers, who, in turn, paid beneficiaries to receive treatment at the defendant's medical clinics.
Pikus is alleged to have used shell companies and fake invoices to conceal his illegal activities.
More than 25 other individuals have pleaded guilty to or been convicted of participating in the scheme, including physicians, physical and occupational therapists, ambulance drivers, and the owners of several of the sham shell companies used to launder the stolen money.
For comments and feedback contact: editorial@rttnews.com
Business News