Eight Brooklyn residents were indicted Wednesday in federal court for their alleged involvement in a $68 million Medicaid fraud scheme, authorities said.
The defendants are accused of operating two Brooklyn-based adult day care centers and a financial intermediary that paid kickbacks and bribes for services that were not provided, according to a press release from the Office of Breon Peace, United States Attorney, Eastern District of New York.
The indictment charges Zakia Khan, Ahsan Ijaz, Ansir Abassi, Amran Hashmi, Elaine Antao, Omneah Hamdi, Manal Wasef and Seema Memon for their roles in the scheme.
“Social adult day care and home health services are meant to help seniors, but as alleged, the defendants turned their businesses into a brazen cash grab,” said U.S. Attorney Breon Peace in a statement. “My office is committed to prosecuting those who plunder taxpayer-funded healthcare programs.”
According to court documents, beginning in October 2017, Khan and Ijaz owned and operated Happy Family Social Adult Day Care, Family Social Adult Day Care, and Responsible Care Staffing, which billed Medicaid for services not provided. The defendants allegedly paid bribes to Medicaid recipients, many of whom did not visit the daycare centers or receive services. In some cases, recipients were outside the U.S. on the dates claimed.
If convicted, the defendants face up to 20 years in prison for conspiracy to commit money laundering, and up to 10 years for healthcare fraud.
The charges are part of an ongoing investigation by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Homeland Security Investigations, and the New York City Police Department.
