Siranush Tulumdzhyan And Company Plead Guilty To Conspiracy To Commit Health Care Fraud Violations

SIRANUSH TULUMDZHYAN, age 28, of Van Nuys, California, pled guilty today before U. S. District Court Judge Eldon E. Fallon to conspiracy to commit health care fraud, announced U. S. Attorney Dana J. Boente.  Also pleading guilty today to health care fraud conspiracy was LA MEDICAL GROUP, INC., a Louisiana corporation that operated as a medical clinic.

According to the bill of information, the defendants participated in a criminal organization for the purpose of fraudulently billing Medicaid.  Patients went to the  medical clinic for medical tests that were not performed or medically necessary.  Patients were moved between the Metairie Health Care to LA MEDICAL to repeatedly perform the same unnecessary tests.  Metairie Health care has already been sentenced for the same activity.  According to the bill of information, if the patients refused the diagnostic tests at LA MEDICAL, prescriptions for narcotic drugs were withheld.  Thereafter, bills for the unnecessary services were submitted to Medicaid.  TULUMDZHYAN was the owner of LA MEDICAL and also an unlicensed and unqualified diagnostic technician, according to the bill of information.

TULUMDZHYAN faces a possible maximum sentence of five years imprisonment.  LA MEDICAL faces a maximum fine of $500,000. Sentencing has been scheduled for September 5, 2013.

The investigation was conducted by Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the Louisiana Department of Justice, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U. S. Attorney Patrice Harris Sullivan.

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