The owner of a Chicago laboratory pleaded guilty to his role in a $14 million COVID-19 testing fraud scheme.
Zishan Alvi, 45, of Inverness, Ill., owned and operated a lab that performed COVID-19 testing, according to an Oct. 1 Justice Department news release. As part of the fraud scheme — which occurred from February 2021 to February 2022 — the lab released negative test results to patients, even though the lab had not actually tested the specimens, or the results were inconclusive.
Mr. Alvi knew that the lab was releasing negative results for tests that were not performed or were inconclusive, but still caused the laboratory to submit claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration, according to the release.