Los Angeles Physician Sentenced To 1 Year In Prison And To Pay Over $1 Million In Restitution For Medicare Fraud
A 69-year-old Los Angeles physician, who pled guilty in July 2012 for receiving approximately $30,000 in kickbacks for participating in a scheme that defrauded Medicare out of more than $5 million, was sentenced last week by a U.S. District Court Judge for the Central District of California. Beginning on February 13, 2013, Whan Sil Kim, also known as “Victoria Kim,” will serve a one year and one day sentence in federal prison. Kim is also required to pay $1.088 million in restitution to Medicare – the amount that her fraudulent referrals to Greatcare Home Health, Inc. cost Medicare.
In July, Kim admitted that from May 2008 to early 2011, she fraudulently referred Medicare beneficiaries to Greatcare in exchange for illegal remunerations. According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office’s December 14th press release, Kim had an arrangement with Greatcare where she would see, but not examine, Medicare beneficiaries at a Greatcare clinic after hours. Kim would then write referrals for home health services, in exchange for $100 per referral. In furtherance of the scheme, Kim would also sign off on plans of care for the beneficiaries.
The criminal investigation into Greatcare was prompted by a still-pending “whistleblower” lawsuit.