A Southern California man pleaded guilty Monday to submitting false enrollment applications to Medicare, according to authorities.The scheme hid the real owners of a fraudulent hospice company, which then submitted over $3.1 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare.
According to court documents, Karen Sarkisyan, aka Kevin Sarkisyan, 44, of Glendale, submitted false and fraudulent Medicare enrollment forms for San Gabriel Hospice and Palliative Care Inc. (San Gabriel), falsely identifying a straw owner as the sole owner and manager, concealing the actual beneficial owners and managers.
San Gabriel submitted approximately $3,668,050 in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, of which $3,180,677 was paid after Sarkisyan submitted the false enrollment applications.Sarkisyan pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to defraud the United States. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Sept. 11. He faces up to five years in prison.
Co-conspirator Gayk Akhsharumov previously pleaded guilty to health care fraud conspiracy and is scheduled to be sentenced on Aug. 14. A third co-conspirator was indicted for his role in the scheme but remained a fugitive.
The FBI Los Angeles Field Office and HHS-OIG are investigating the case.
Assistant Chief Niall M. O’Donnell and Trial Attorneys Patrick J. Queenan and Alexandra Michael of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.