Two New York diagnostic testing facility owners were sentenced today to three years in prison for their roles in a more than $18 million health care fraud scheme.

According to court documents, Tea Kaganovich, 50, and Ramazi Mitaishvili, 62, both of Brooklyn, are a married couple that co-owned several diagnostic testing facilities in Brooklyn. The couple paid over $18 million in kickbacks for the referral of beneficiaries who submitted themselves to diagnostic testing and other purported medical services. Kaganovich and Mitaishvili also falsely reported to the IRS that the illegal kickback payments were legitimate business expenses and therefore submitted tax forms that under-reported business income and claimed deductions to which they were not entitled.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; U.S. Attorney Breon Peace for the Eastern District of New York; Acting Special Agent in Charge Susan Frisco of the Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Office of Investigations; Assistant Director in Charge Michael J. Driscoll of the FBI New York Field Office; and Special Agent in Charge Thomas Fattorusso of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) New York Field Office made the announcement.

The HHS-OIG, FBI, and IRS-CI investigated the case.

Assistant Chief Debra Jaroslawicz and Trial Attorney Sarah Wilson Rocha of the Justice Department’s Fraud Section prosecuted the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tanisha Payne handled forfeiture matters.

The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat health care fraud through the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, comprised of 15 strike forces operating in 24 federal districts, has charged more than 4,200 defendants who collectively have billed the Medicare program for more than $19 billion. In addition, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the Office of the Inspector General for the Department of Health and Human Services, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at https://www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.

Press release by the DOJ.

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