WASHINGTON — Four California residents have been sentenced to federal prison for helping run a network of sham hospice companies that defrauded Medicare of nearly $16 million and laundered the proceeds through shell accounts, according to court records.
On Wednesday, Juan Carlos Esparza, 33, of Valley Village, was sentenced to 57 months in prison and was ordered to pay $1.8 million in restitution. Susanna Harutyunyan, 39, of Winnetka, was sentenced to 15 months and ordered to pay $2.8 million.
Earlier sentences in the case included 57-month terms for Karpis Srapyan, 35, and Mihran Panosyan, 47, both of Winnetka, who were ordered to repay $3.2 million and $4.6 million, respectively.
In May 2025, Petros Fichidzhyan, 44, of Granada Hills — described by prosecutors as a central figure in the operation — was sentenced to 12 years and ordered to repay $17.1 million.
Prosecutors said Esparza, Fichidzhyan and Srapyan controlled four bogus hospice companies between 2019 and 2023, including one owned by Esparza called House of Angels Hospice, and billed Medicare for services that were medically unnecessary or never provided.
To hide their involvement, they used the identities of foreign nationals as straw owners, opened bank accounts in their names, and used cellphones registered in their names.
The group then laundered the money with help from Harutyunyan and Panosyan, funneling the proceeds through shell companies and multiple bank accounts.
Investigators recovered fraudulent IDs, hospice records, and financial documents tied to the scheme.
All five defendants pleaded guilty in 2025 to combinations of health-care fraud, money laundering, and identity theft.
Federal authorities have seized more than $2.9 million from related bank accounts, and two homes purchased with illicit proceeds are subject to forfeiture.