LOS ANGELES
The former owner and operator along with two managers of a Southern California ambulance company have been sentenced to prison for their role in a fraud scheme that resulted in more than $1.5 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, authorities announced today.
U.S. District Judge S. James Otero sentenced Yaroslav Proshak, also known as Steven Proshak, 47, of Valley Village, today to nine years in federal prison
On December 2, Judge Otero sentenced Emilia Zverev, 58, of Van Nuys, to three years in prison. On the same day, the judge sentenced Sharetta Michelle Wallace, 37, of Inglewood, to two years in prison.
Judge Otero ordered each defendant to pay $804,755 in restitution.
On August 18, following a 10-day trial, a federal jury in Los Angeles convicted Proshak, Zverev and Wallace of one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and five counts of health care fraud.
“Prosecuting healthcare fraud remains a high priority for the Department of Justice,” said U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker. “These sentences properly recognize and punish the fact that defendants stole money specifically set aside for those with acute medical needs.”
Officials said Zverev and Wallace worked for ProMed Medical Transportation, an ambulance transportation company owned and operated by Proshak in the greater Los Angeles area that provided non-emergency services to Medicare beneficiaries, many of whom were dialysis patients.
Zverev was the billing manager and Wallace supervised the ProMed EMTs, according to officials.
The evidence at trial showed that between May 2008 and October 2010, the defendants conspired to bill Medicare for ambulance transportation services for individuals that did not need such services.
The defendants also instructed ProMed EMTs to conceal the patients’ true medical conditions by altering paperwork and creating fraudulent documents to justify the services.
During the course of the conspiracy, ProMed submitted at least $1.5 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for medically unnecessary transportation services, and Medicare paid at least $804,755 on those claims.