Leah B. Foley United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts | Department of Justice
A Geneva, Illinois man has been charged and intends to plead guilty in a scheme that allegedly defrauded Medicare of more than $2 million through false claims for durable medical equipment (DME). Kartik Bhatia, 36, faces one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and one count of making false statements. The court has not yet scheduled a plea hearing.
According to charging documents, Bhatia worked with Raju Sharma and others to operate a DME company that paid telemarketing firms for orders of orthotic devices such as ankle, wrist, knee, and back braces. Authorities allege that many Medicare beneficiaries did not need or request these braces. Additionally, doctors whose signatures appeared on the orders often had not treated the beneficiaries or prescribed the equipment.
After the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suspended payments to Bhatia’s original DME company, he reportedly opened another company that continued similar practices. Prosecutors state that Bhatia will plead guilty both to conspiracy related to health care fraud and to making materially false statements during the investigation.
The charge of conspiracy to commit health care fraud carries a potential sentence of up to 10 years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $250,000 or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. The charge of making false statements is punishable by up to five years in prison, three years of supervised release, and a fine up to $10,000. Sentencing decisions are made by federal district court judges based on U.S. Sentencing Guidelines.
United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the charges along with Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge at Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General; and Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Boston Division. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Lauren Graber and Sarah Hoefle are prosecuting the case.
Authorities remind that “the details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.”
