Two Individuals Plead Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud Violations

To contact us Click HERE


NEW ORLEANS—Daria Litvinova, age 25, ofMetairie, Louisiana, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraudand Ernestine Girod, age 47, of Marrero, Louisiana pleaded guilty to healthcare fraud. The pleas were entered today before U.S. District Court Judge LanceM. Africk, announced U.S. Attorney Jim Letten.
According to superseding bill ofinformation for Litvinova and the second superseding indictment for Girod, thedefendants participated in a criminal organization for the purpose of fraudulentlybilling Medicare and Medicaid. Patients went to the medical clinics for medicaltests that were not performed and not medically necessary. Clinic owners paidrunners like Girod to bring Medicare and Medicaid patients to the clinics.Patients were moved between the various clinics to repeatedly perform the sameunnecessary tests. According to the superseding bill of information andindictment, the doctors gave the patients prescriptions for drugs, usuallynarcotics, for their cooperation.
Thereafter, bills for the false andunnecessary services were submitted to Medicaid and Medicare by a third partymedical claims processing and billing company that worked with other NewOrleans-area clinics that have already entered guilty pleas.
Count one of the superseding bill ofinformation, to which Litvinova pleaded guilty, conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, carries a possible maximum sentence of five years’ imprisonment.Count one of the second superseding indictment, to which GIrod pleaded guilty,carries a possible maximum sentence of 10 years’ imprisonment. Sentencing forGirod has been scheduled for January 10, 2013. Sentencing for Litvinova hasbeen set for December 6, 2012.
Artem Gasparyan, Vadim Mysak, AnnaAivazova, Aram Khlgatian; the medical clinics, Health Plus Consulting Inc.,Saturn Medical Group, New Millennium Medical Group, Inc.; and the biller, SoloLucky Claims Processing Inc., have already pleaded guilty and are awaitingsentencing. Jo Ann Girod, Ernestine Girod’s, sister, plead guilty on October17, 2011, and was sentenced to six months’ imprisonment and ordered to payrestitution in the amount of $2,452.81.
The investigation was conducted byspecial agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; the U.S. Department ofHealth and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; and the LouisianaDepartment of Justice, Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. The case is beingprosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Patrice Harris Sullivan, G. Dall Kammer,and Jordan Ginsberg.