The former leader of multiple New York medical clinics was sentenced to prison and ordered to pay millions for his involvement in a money laundering and healthcare kickback scheme, according to a report from the Department of Justice.
Five things to know:
1. Aleksandr Pikus was convicted of money laundering and paying kickbacks to healthcare providers that defrauded the U.S. by obstructing the IRS. Mr. Pinkus and 25 co-conspirators have pleaded guilty to participating in the scheme, which lasted for nearly a decade.
2. The clinics employed physicians, physical and occupational therapists and other medical professionals enrolled in CMS. Mr. Pikus referred Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries to the providers in exchange for illegal kickbacks.
3. The co-conspirators also laundered a large amount of proceeds from the claims through companies Mr. Pikus controlled by cashing the checks at several check-cashing businesses. Mr. Pikus then did not report the income to the IRS but kept the money for himself and others and used it to pay kickbacks to patient recruiters who then paid beneficiaries for medical care at Mr. Pikus' clinics.
4. Mr. Pikus also used shell companies and fake invoices to conceal their fraudulent activities.
5. U.S. District Judge Ann Donnelly of the Eastern District of New York sentenced Mr. Pikus to 156 months in prison and ordered him to pay $39.4 million in restitution and forfeit $2.6 million.