Los Angeles, California - A federal jury in Los Angeles convicted a Los Angeles man and owner of a medical supply company today for his role in a $4 million Medicare fraud scheme.
Assistant Attorney General Leslie R. Caldwell of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Eileen M. Decker of the Central District of California, Special Agent in Charge Christian J. Schrank of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General’s (HHS-OIG) Los Angeles Region and Assistant Director in Charge David L. Bowdich of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office made the announcement.
According to evidence presented at trial, Valery Bogomolny, 43, used his company, Royal Medical Supply, to bill Medicare $4 million between January 2006 and October 2009 for power wheelchairs (PWCs), back braces and knee braces that were medically unnecessary, not provided to beneficiaries or both. The evidence further showed that Bogomolny created false documentation to support his false billing claims, including creating fake reports of home assessments that never occurred. Bogomolny personally delivered PWCs to beneficiaries who were able to walk without assistance and signed documents stating that he had delivered equipment when the equipment was not actually delivered. Bogomolny ultimately received $2.7 million from Medicare on these false claims.
A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Feb. 29, 2016, before U.S. District Judge S. James Otero of the Central District of California, who presided over the trial.
The case was investigated by the FBI and HHS-OIG and was brought as part of the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, under the supervision of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Trial Attorneys Fred Medick and Ritesh Srivastava of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting this case.
Since its inception in March 2007, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, now operating in nine cities across the country, has charged nearly 2,300 defendants who have collectively billed the Medicare program for more than $7 billion. In addition, the HHS Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, working in conjunction with the HHS-OIG, is taking steps to increase accountability and decrease the presence of fraudulent providers.
To learn more about the Health Care Fraud Prevention and Enforcement Team (HEAT), go to: www.stopmedicarefraud.gov.
