A California medical lab operator was sentenced to 10 years in prison for conspiring to conceal his role in a billing scheme that defrauded Medicare of approximately $234 million.
Imran Shams, 65, of Glendale, was previously convicted of Medicare and Medicaid fraud on two separate occasions in 1990 and 2001, after which he was prohibited from participating in federal healthcare programs until he submitted an application for reinstatement, according to a Jan. 30 news release from the Justice Department.
In 2018, while operating Matias Clinical Laboratory and working under the name of Healthcare Providers Laboratory in Baldwin, Calif., Mr. Shams and a co-conspirator fraudulently concealed his involvement to receive payments from Medicare for its testing services, ultimately fraudulently billing Medicare for more than $234 million, according to the release. Mr. Shams' involvement also consisted of submitting false documentation to government agencies and making false statements to probation offices.
In addition to prison time, Mr. Shams was ordered to forfeit $31,761,286.21 and his interest in three Los Angeles area properties and to pay $31,761,286.21 in restitution, according to the release.