2 California Hospice Scammers Sentenced in $16M Scheme

Two California-based individuals were recently sentenced to prison for their alleged involvement in a nearly $16 million hospice fraud and money laundering case. Juan Carlos Esparza, 33, and Susanna Harutyunyan, 39, were two of the five “foreign nationals” who allegedly operated four sham hospice companies in California, according to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). […]

California Hospice Owner Receives Nearly 5-Year Prison Sentence in $16M Fraud Scheme

A hospice operator in California has recently been sentenced to serve four years and nine months in prison for their involvement in a nearly $16 million fraud and money laundering scheme. Karpis Srapyan, 35, along with Petros Fichidzhyan and Juan Carlos Esparza, allegedly operated four sham hospice companies, which were allegedly owned by “foreign nationals,” […]

‘National Health Care Fraud Takedown’ Yields Arrests in Scams Totalling $14.6B

A joint effort by several federal agencies has resulted in the capture of parties responsible for, in aggregate, more than $14.6 billion in health care fraud. The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) coordinated the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown in concert with the FBI, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), several U.S. Attorney’s offices […]

Guilty Plea Entered in ‘Massive’ $16M California Hospice Fraud Scheme

Mihran Panosyan of Winnetka, California, has pleaded guilty for his alleged involvement in a money laundering scheme that bilked Medicare of nearly $16 million.  Panosyan entered a guilty plea on Monday to charges of Medicare billing fraud and laundering more than $4.6 million through sham hospice companies, according to an announcement from the U.S. Department […]

DOJ Rejects Amedisys, UnitedHealth’s Divestiture to BrightSpring, Pennant

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) has rejected the sale of Amedisys’ (Nasdaq: AMED) home health and hospice assets to BrightSpring Health Services Inc. (Nasdaq: BTSG) and The Pennant Group (Nasdaq: PNTG) as a remedy to an ongoing lawsuit. Amedisys earlier this month announced the divestiture of a number of its home health and hospice […]

US Justice Department’s Spotlight on Hospice Sends ‘Powerful Message’ to Fraudulent Operators

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) is prioritizing hospice as the agency cracks down on health care fraud. Increased reimbursement oversight could be on the horizon, lending to a potential rise in whistleblower cases. DOJ counts hospice claims among the root causes of rising Medicare costs in recent years, according to Lisa Miller, deputy assistant […]