U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced that Arkan Fadhel, a 30-year-old business owner from Buffalo, NY, was sentenced for conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Fadhel will serve three years of supervised release, including 12 months of home incarceration. Additionally, he must perform 400 hours of community service and forfeit $781,186.80 while paying restitution totaling $250,000.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Franz M. Wright and Mary Clare Kane reported that Fadhel owns Queen City Transportation, Inc., which has been providing non-emergency Medicaid transportation since August 2018. He and others drove beneficiaries primarily to methadone clinics. Before this role, Fadhel worked as a driver for Great Lakes Transportation.
Between August 6, 2018, and December 31, 2020, Fadhel submitted false attestation records to Medical Answering Service by claiming rides that did not occur and billing group rides as individual ones. The total loss to Medicaid exceeded $250,000.
The investigation was conducted by the Western New York Health Care Fraud Task Force with participation from the Federal Bureau of Investigation under Special Agent-in-Charge Matthew Miraglia; the New York State Department of Financial Services led by Superintendent Adrienne A. Harris; the New York State Police directed by Major Amie Feroleto; and Health and Human Services' Office of Inspector General under Special Agent-in-Charge Naomi Gruchacz.