Imran Shams, 65, of Glendale, Los Angeles County, California, United States is a serial health care fraudster. He was convicted of Medicare and Medicaid fraud in separate cases in 1990 in New York, USA and in 2001 in California. He was excluded from participation in Medicare and all federal health care programs after each conviction.
To be considered for reinstatement in federal health care programs, Shams had to submit a written application, according to the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). He never sought reinstatement but he continued to operate health care clinics in New York that billed federal health care programs.
In November 2017, Shams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks and other charges related to his operation of his clinics in New York.
By 2018, he was an owner, operator and manager of Matias Clinical Laboratory, doing business as Health Care Providers Laboratory (HCPL) in Baldwin Park, Los Angeles County. The clinical testing laboratory billed Medicare and other federal health care programs.
A co-conspirator helped Shams fraudulently conceal his role in HCPL from Medicare. They did not submit required enrollment documentation identifying his ownership, management position and prior convictions to maintain the laboratory’s status as a Medicare provider.
Between August 2018 and April 2022, HCPL fraudulently billed Medicare around $234 million. Based on these fraudulent claims, the health insurance program paid the laboratory around $31.7 million.
On January 24, 2023, Shams pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and concealment of his exclusion from Medicare. On January 30, 2024, he was sentenced to 10 years in prison and ordered to pay $31,761,286.21 in restitution.
CONAN Daily 