Man Arrested In FBI Raid On Northridge Home In Hospice Fraud Case
LOS ANGELES (CBSLA) – A man was arrested Thursday morning during an FBI raid on a residence in the San Fernando Valley neighborhood of Northridge in connection with a hospice fraud investigation.
Oganes Doganyan, 49, was taken into custody at around 5 a.m. in the 17600 block of Parthenia Street, an FBI spokesperson confirmed to CBSLA.
Doganyan is under arrest along with 38-year-old Kristine Arutyunyan of Glendale. Both are accused with paying illegal kickbacks in a healthcare fraud scheme.
According to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office, the two "paid illegal kickbacks for the referral of Medicare beneficiary information that could be used to bill for purported hospice services."
The two caused fraudulent claims to be billed to Medicare for hospice services that were "medically unnecessary" and "not eligible for reimbursement."
Both are charged with federal counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive kickbacks, and paying kickbacks.
If convicted as charged, each faces a maximum sentence of up to 35 years in federal prison.