A former Kentucky resident has been sentenced to over a year in federal prison for his involvement in a conspiracy related to health care fraud and money laundering through his medical equipment businesses. The announcement was made by U.S. Attorney Michael A. Bennett of the Western District of Kentucky, along with Special Agent in Charge Michael E. Stansbury of the FBI Louisville Field Office and Special Agent in Charge Tamala Miles from the HHS Office of Inspector General, Atlanta Regional Office.
Court documents reveal that Shafi Abbas, aged 57, formerly from Pendleton, Kentucky, received a sentence of one year and one day in prison. This will be followed by two years of supervised release for his role in conspiring to commit health care fraud and executing three counts of money laundering. Abbas operated through his companies, Aidmen Medical Equipment LLC and Justright Medical Equipment LLC, submitting fraudulent Medicare claims for Durable Medical Equipment that patients did not need or request and which were not prescribed by their medical providers.
The funds involved exceeded $10,000 and were derived from unlawful activities linked to the health care fraud conspiracy. In addition to his prison sentence, Abbas has been ordered to pay restitution amounting to $1,333,722.21.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI and HHS, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Joe Ansari prosecuting the case.
There is no parole available in the federal system.
