Two Illinois men have been charged for allegedly submitting more than $227 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare.
Five things to know:
1. Syed Kablazada, 34, of Arlington Heights and Syed Hussain, 32, of Carol Stream, owned and operated purported medical laboratories that allegedly submitted false claims to Medicare for the reimbursement of over-the-counter COVID-19 tests, according to a May 22 Justice Department news release
2. The Justice Department alleged that the men rarely provided COVID-19 tests to Medicare beneficiaries, but instead submitted reimbursement claims on behalf of individuals who had not requested kits — including some who were deceased.
3. The men allegedly paid a marketing company to provide the names of hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, which they used to submit fraudulent claims.
4. Between September 2022 and June 2023, the labs billed Medicare approximately $227 million in fraudulent claims, of which Medicare paid out about $136 million in reimbursements.
5. Both men were charged with four counts of healthcare fraud. If convicted they face a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison on each count.
