Two Brothers Charged With Defrauding Federal Workers’ Compensation Program
Press release from the Federal Bureau Of Investigation
SANTA ANA, CA—Two brothers pleaded not guilty today to federal charges that allege they submitted bills that fraudulently sought hundreds of thousands of dollars from a government workers’ compensation program for supposedly transporting injured Postal Service employees to medical appointments that never took place.
Roman “Mike” Aghajanyan, 27, and Roland “George” Aghajanyan, 28, both of Burbank, were named in a 30-count wire fraud indictment returned last Wednesday by a federal grand jury. The Aghajanyans were arrested by federal authorities on October 20. The Aghajanyans, who are both free on $75,000 bonds, today were ordered to stand trial on December 28.
The brothers operated two Los Angeles-based transportation companies, A&R Medical Transportation and V&Y Management Incorporated doing business as Prestige Transportation.
Through their companies, the Aghajanyans allegedly billed a government workers’ compensation program for patient transportation in Los Angeles and Orange Counties that never occurred. The indictment also alleges that the brothers grossly inflated the amount of their claims to the Department of Labor – Office of Workers Compensation (DOL-OWCP), as well as private workers’ compensation insurers. The indictment alleges that total losses are at least $300,000.
“This is another significant investigation in our ongoing battle against fraudulent workers’ compensation claims,” said Lance Carrington, Deputy Assistant Inspector General for the Postal Service’s Office of Inspector General. “The workers’ compensation program benefits thousands of postal employees who have received legitimate on-the-job injuries. It is also an expensive program, costing the Postal Service millions of dollars each year. Those costs increase for all of us when false and inflated claims are submitted by health care providers. These fraudulent claims also undermine the system.”
The Department of Labor – Office of Workers Compensation pays for medical treatment, and transportation to obtain medical treatment, for federal employees who sustain work-related injuries and illnesses.
Daniel R. Petrole, Acting Inspector General, United States Department of Labor, stated: “This indictment serves as a warning to those who would fraudulently bill the Department’s Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs for services not rendered. My office will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to uphold the integrity of Department of Labor programs.”
Each count of wire fraud carries a statutory maximum sentence of 20 years in federal prison.
“The alleged fraud in this case undermines an important benefit provided by the federal government and private insurance to injured employees who legitimately require the services of the workers compensation program,” said Steven Martinez, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “The FBI is dedicated to investigating health care fraud with our partners at the state and local level to combat the fraud associated with these programs, so that these important services are protected.”
This case is the product of a joint investigation by the Department of Labor – Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, and the U.S. Postal Service – Office of Inspector General.
An indictment contains allegations that a defendant has committed a crime. Every defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.
New York Postal Supervisor Found Guilty Of Operating $10 Million Gambling Ring
Filed under: postal, postal news, postal supervisors, press releases, usps
Employee of the United States Postal Service Found Guilty in Manhattan Federal Court for Operating $10 Million Illegal Gambling Ring
October 21, 2010
PREET BHARARA, the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York, JANICE K. FEDARCYK, the Assistant Director-in-Charge of the New York Office of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (“FBI”), and JANE HUGHES, the Special Agent-in- Charge of the United States Postal Service, Office of Inspector General for the Northeast Area (“USPS-OIG”), announced that JAMES WASHINGTON, a/k/a “Harlem,” was found guilty yesterday of conspiring to operate an illegal gambling business throughout USPS facilities and other government workplaces. WASHINGTON was found guilty yesterday by a federal jury after a three-day trial before U.S. District Judge RICHARD M. BERMAN.
According to the evidence presented at trial, and other documents previously filed in Manhattan federal court:
From 2005 to 2009, WASHINGTON, who was then a USPS supervisor, along with several co-conspirators who worked at the USPS and other state and local government agencies, operated a “Lotto”-type gambling business (the “Lottery”) which tracked the numbers chosen for the New York State Lotto drawings and paid out on a monthly basis prizes in the range of $100,000 and more.
Each month, thousands of players paid $20 per entry in the Lottery. “Lottery books,” which listed each player’s name and the six numbers he or she chose to play per entry, were distributed to players from a central storage facility in Brooklyn. The winner was the first player or players to have all six numbers chosen in the New York State Lotto.
During the course of the conspiracy, WASHINGTON and his co-conspirators collected over $10 million dollars in illegal wagers, many of which were collected from USPS employees, as well as employees of the Metropolitan Transit Authority (“MTA”) and New York Department of Sanitation (“DSNY”). Much of the illegal activity took place on Government property and during work hours. The evidence at trial showed that WASHINGTON earned over $100,000 in illegal profits from his role in the conspiracy.
The following co-conspirators have previously pled guilty in this case:
JAMES MONTELEONE, a former MTA employee, ANDREW TURELLI, a former USPS employee, JUAN DEJESUS, a USPS employee, JOHN ALFONZO, a DSNY employee, RUBEN CHAVES, an MTA employee, MICHAEL FARRAJ, an MTA employee, MAURICE PALMER, a former USPS employee, ROMUALDO MUNOZ, a former USPS employee, STEVEN GOLDSTEIN, a USPS employee, and FRANK LINSALATA.
Mr. BHARARA thanked the FBI and the USPS-OIG for their work in the investigation of this case. Mr. BHARARA also thanked the DSNY and the MTA for their assistance.
This case is being prosecuted by the Office’s General Crimes Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys AIMEE HECTOR and DANIEL CHUNG are in charge of the prosecution.
source: FBI
DOJ, FBI And US Postal Inspection Service Announce Formal Conclusion of Investigation Into 2001 Anthrax Attacks
The following is a press release issued by the Justice Department:
The Justice Department, FBI and U.S. Postal Inspection Service today announced that the investigation into the 2001 anthrax attacks, which killed five individuals and sickened 17 others, has formally concluded.
Earlier today, representatives of the FBI and Justice Department provided a 92-page investigative summary along with attachments to victims of the attacks, relatives of the victims and appropriate committees of Congress. This document sets forth a summary of the evidence developed in the “Amerithrax” investigation, the largest investigation into a bio-weapons attack in U.S. history. As disclosed previously, the Amerithrax investigation found that the late Dr. Bruce Ivins acted alone in planning and executing these attacks.
The investigative summary and the attachments are now accessible to the public and have been posted to the Justice Department Web site at www.usdoj.gov/amerithrax under the Freedom of Information Act. In addition, roughly 2,700 pages of FBI documents related to the Amerithrax case are now accessible to the public and have been posted to the FBI website at http://foia.fbi.gov/foiaindex/amerithrax.htm under the Freedom of Information Act.
The Amerithrax Task Force, which was comprised of roughly 25 to 30 full-time investigators from the FBI, U.S. Postal Inspection Service and other law enforcement agencies, as well as federal prosecutors from the District of Columbia and the Justice Department’s Counterterrorism Section, expended hundreds of thousands of investigator work hours on this case. Their investigative efforts involved more than 10,000 witness interviews on six different continents, the execution of 80 searches and the recovery of more than 6,000 items of potential evidence during the course of the investigation. The case involved the issuance of more than 5,750 grand jury subpoenas and the collection of 5,730 environmental samples from 60 site locations.