5 people arrested in Los Angeles for allegedly defrauding Medicare out of $15 million – Daily News

A judge's gavel rests on a law book. (Dreamtime/TNS)

Five people have been arrested in Los Angeles for their alleged involvement in a multi-year scheme to defraud Medicare of more than $15 million through fake hospice companies.

The fake companies were purported to be owned by foreign nationals, according to an unsealed indictment, but were actually owned and operated by Petros Fichidzhyan, 43, of Granada Hills; Juan Carlos Esparza, 32, of Valley Village; and Karpis Srapyan, 34, of Van Nuys.

The defendants, placed in police custody on Thursday June 6, used the identification information of foreign nationals to open bank accounts and sign real estate leases. Fichidzhyan called Medicare and submitted false and fraudulent claims for hospice services, prosecutors said in a statement.

Additionally, all three defendants are accused of misappropriating the credentials of doctors who claimed to Medicare that they had determined that hospice services were necessary, when in fact the purported patients were not terminally ill. and had never sought or received care.

Fichidzhyan, Esparza and Srapyan, along with co-defendants Susanna Harutyunyan, 38, and Mihran Panosyan, 45, both of Winnetka, allegedly laundered Medicare profits to purchase real estate, vehicles and other items, prosecutors said.

The defendants face numerous charges, including conspiracy, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering and making false statements. No information was immediately available regarding their continued detention.