Michigan man sentenced for Medicare fraud after spending nearly a decade on the run
(CBS DETROIT) — A Michigan home health care company owner who spent nearly a decade on the run was sentenced to more than three years in prison for his role in a health care fraud conspiracy.
Muhammad Zafar, 53, of Wayne County, pleaded guilty in May to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.
According to court documents, Zafar worked with two other health care company owners and three doctors to offer bribes, kickbacks and other inducements to beneficiary recruiters to obtain Medicare beneficiary information. Zafar and others reportedly used that information to bill Medicare for services that were not provided and were medically unnecessary.
Zafar pleaded guilty to submitting about $393,500 in claims to Medicare from his home health care company for services that were ineligible for Medicare reimbursement and were medically unnecessary.
The fraud ring resulted in $7.9 million in false and fraudulent claims for home health care that were paid by Medicare Part A.
Zafar initially appeared in court on June 17, 2015, and violated his court-issued bond that same day by crossing into Canada and then flying to Pakistan. Officials say Zafar was an international fugitive for nearly seven and a half years before he returned to the U.S. to face the charges against him.
Zafar was sentenced on Nov. 14 to three years and five months in prison.