Two California residents are accused of a scheme to defraud Medicare out of more than $54 million through hospice and diagnostic testing services that were never provided.
Sophia Shaklian, 36, of Los Angeles, is facing 16 counts of healthcare fraud and four counts of transactional money laundering, according to an Oct. 9 Justice Department news release. Alex Alexsanian, 47, of Burbank, is facing one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and three counts of concealment money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Ms. Shaklian — often using aliases — managed and submitted claims for seven Los Angeles- area healthcare providers enrolled with Medicare, according to the release. The businesses include a hospice company she owned and several diagnostic companies.
From March 2019 through August 2024, the companies allegedly submitted more than $54 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare for services that were never performed or not needed. Medicare paid out $23 million for those claims. Ms. Shaklian allegedly laundered the funds paid to her hospice company by transferring them to accounts in the name of a "Varsenic Babaian," a fake identity.
Mr. Alexsanian is accused of directing a foreign national to open up Sylmar, Calif.-based Saint Gorge Radiology and to acquire Medicare provider Console Hospice in Van Nuys, Calif., and then provide control of those companies and their bank accounts and the foreign national's personal bank accounts to Mr. Alexsanian.
He allegedly conspired with the foreign national and others to have Saint Gorge Radiology and Console Hospice submit fraudulent claims to Medicare, then laundered the reimbursements they received, as well as funds deposited into their accounts through the "Babaian" identity, and used them to, among other things, buy more than $6 million in gold bars and coins.