September 15, 2017

Valentina Kovalienko, the owner of Brooklyn medical clinics Prime Care on the Bay LLC and Bensonhurst Mega Medical Care P.C. was sentenced to 84 months in prison and ordered to forfeit roughly $29 million for her role in a $55 million health care fraud scheme.  As part of her guilty plea, Kovalienko acknowledged that her co-conspirators paid cash kickbacks to patients to induce them to attend her two clinics.  She also admitted submitting false and fraudulent claims to Medicare and Medicaid for services that were induced by prohibited kickback payments to patients or that were unlawfully rendered by unlicensed staff. DOJ

Tagged in: Anti-Kickback and Stark, Healthcare Fraud, Improper Medical Personnel, Provider Fraud,