A federal court in Chicago indicted two Pakistani nationals for their alleged participation in a $10 million Medicare scam on Thursday, a Department of Justice (DOJ) press release stated.
According to the press release, Burzhan Mirza and Kashif Iqbal used “nominee-owned laboratories” and “durable medical equipment providers” to make fraudulent Medicare and insurance claims “for items and services that were not provided.”
Mirza, 31, lived in Pakistan and allegedly “obtained the identifying information of individuals, providers, and insurers without their knowledge,” using the information to support claims being submitted through “nominee-owned companies.” Iqbal, 48, lived in Lavon, Texas, and was allegedly “associated with a number of durable medical equipment providers that submitted fraudulent claims to insurers.” According to the indictment, Iqbal laundered money from the scam and “coordinated the transfer of money” back to Pakistan.
Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said via the press release that eliminating fraud is “a priority” for the DOJ.
“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” Blanche stated. “We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
Andrew Boutros, U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Illinois, said the men “stole from taxpayers who fund the promise of healthcare in this country,” according to the press release.
“The newly established Healthcare Fraud Section in the Chicago U.S. Attorney’s office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to stop bad actors from draining public and private programs—especially those in the healthcare fraud space that would make it harder for legitimate patients to receive care,” Boutros continued.
The indictment charges Mirza with five counts of money laundering and 12 counts of health care fraud, and Iqbal with one count of making a false statement to U.S. law enforcement, six counts of money laundering and 12 counts of health care fraud, per the press release.
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