Karo Gotti Blkhoyan, who was convicted for stealing physicians' identities in order to defraud Medicare, was sentenced to 57 months in prison on March 10.
From 2009 to 2010, Mr. Blkhoyan and several co-conspirators operated Pinnacle Group Services, a medical clinic located in Columbia, S.C. PGS was a shell clinic where no patients actually went, and conspirators stole physicians' identities to bill Medicare for services, according to the HHS Office of the Inspector General.
Mr. Blkhoyan and several co-conspirators were indicted for conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, conspiracy to commit money laundering and money laundering in August 2012. The total fraudulent billings amounted to $1.1 million, of which $300,000 was paid, according to the indictment.
Mr. Blkhoyan was arrested on Aug. 26, 2014 at the San Francisco International Airport, according to the OIG.