Muhammad Zafar, the owner of a Michigan home healthcare company, was sentenced to 40 months in jail for his role in a conspiracy that defrauded Medicare of about $7.9 million.
According to the Department of Justice, the 53-year-old Wayne County resident controlled a corporation that conspired with three doctors and two other business owners to file fraudulent claims for superfluous services that were never performed.
Zafar, who was charged with conspiracy to conduct healthcare fraud and wire fraud, first appeared in court on June 17, 2015.
On the same day, Zafar became an international fugitive after violating a court-issued bond and escaping to Pakistan, where he resided for nearly seven and a half years.
He only recently decided to return to the United States to face his charges.
He was sentenced to three years and five months in jail after pleading guilty to submitting about $393,500 in false claims to Medicare on behalf of his employer.
The matter was investigated by the Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) and the FBI Detroit Field Office.
Nicole M. Argentieri, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General, announced the sentence alongside Mario Pinto, HHS-OIG Special Agent in Charge, and Cheyvoryea Gibson, FBI Special Agent in Charge.
The case was prosecuted by Jeffrey A. Crapko, a Trial Attorney of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.
The Department of Justice emphasized the work of the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which has accused over 5,400 people since 2007 for billing federal health programs and commercial insurers more than $27 billion. This investigation is being handled by nine Strike Force teams, which operate in 27 federal districts. In collaboration with HHS-OIG, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services are attempting to hold providers accountable for their roles in fraudulent schemes.
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