Score:   1
Docket Number:   ND-CA  3:19-mj-71432
Case Name:   USA v. Tacorda
  Press Releases:
SAN FRANCISCO – Federal complaints have been filed against 30 defendants charged in a patients-for-cash kickback scheme, announced United States Attorney David L. Anderson,  Federal Bureau of Investigation Special Agent in Charge John F. Bennett, and Special Agent in Charge for the Office of Inspector General of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG), Steven J. Ryan.  

The complaints, unsealed this morning, describe a wide-ranging patients-for-kickback scheme.  At the center of the scheme are Amity Home Health Care, the largest home health care provider in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Advent Care, Inc., a provider of hospice care.  According to the complaints, all the defendants participated in the scheme whereby Amity, under the leadership of Chief Executive Officer Ridhima “Amanda” Singh, paid kickbacks to marketers, doctors, and other medical professionals in exchange for the certification or referral of patients for home health or hospice services.  Also charged are 28 people including doctors, nurses, marketers, a social worker, and additional employees of Amity. According to the complaints, every single defendant charged was recorded by law enforcement officers either offering or accepting, or approving illegal payments for patient referrals. 

Title 42, United States Code, Section 1320a-7b, makes it a crime for any person to knowingly solicit, offer, or pay a kickback, bribe, or rebate for furnishing services under a Federal health care program.  Because many of the patients were insured by Medicare, a taxpayer-funded insurance plan, the referral of patients through the kickback scheme violated the statute.

“The complaints allege a scheme for doctors, nurses, and other medical care professionals to trade patients for cash,” said U.S. Attorney Anderson.  “This is the largest cash-for-patients scheme ever charged criminally in the Northern District of California.”

“The transition to a home health agency should be based on medical and personal needs – not cash payments or thinly disguised referral bribes as alleged in these cases,” said Special Agent in Charge Ryan.  “We will continue working with law enforcement partners to guard these vital government health programs as patients and taxpayers deserve better.”

The criminal complaints describe how Amity and some of its employees bribed individuals associated with hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and doctors’ offices to induce those individuals to send patients to Amity and Advent.  Amity and the other defendants often disguised the kickbacks as payroll, phony medical directorships, and, at other times, as “entertainment,” reimbursements,” “gifts”, or “donations.”  Further, several of the defendants are doctors and other health care professionals who allegedly received bribes in exchange for making referrals to Amity and Advent and other home health agencies so that the companies could provide and bill for services.  In the case of Amity, Singh and her employees allegedly compensated these professionals in cash for each patient referral and for making introductions to physicians, case managers, or other health care professionals who could refer patients.

In addition, some of the defendants are described as “marketers.” Marketers received from Amity and others cash and gifts, such as tickets to Warriors games, in exchange for patient referrals.  Marketers had clients that consisted of case managers at hospitals, social workers at skilled nursing facilities, doctors, and office staff at doctors’ offices.  Singh allegedly instructed marketers to take clients out to elaborate meals, sporting events, and purchase gifts for individuals willing to provide Amity with patients, mainly Medicare patients.  When patient referrals were slow, Singh allegedly directed the marketer to incentivize clients with gifts in an effort to induce them to refer more patients to Amity.

In sum, the following individuals and companies have been changed in the scheme:



Defendant





Role





Age/Residence





Case Number





AMITY HEALTH CARE





Home Health Care Provider





 





19-71440





ADVENT CARE, INC.





Hospice Care Provider





 





19-71459





SINGH, AMANDA





CEO of Amity





33, Livermore





19-71430





ADDISON, BRENDA





Amity employee





49, Oakland





19-71431





BHANDARI, BHUPINDER





Doctor





59, Pleasanton





19-71441





DEGUZMAN, MERVINA





Nurse/Case Manager





41, San Jose





19-71447





HICKS, KIMBERLY





Doctor





59, Oakland





19-71451





KABANSKAYA, YELENA





Doctor





39, San Jose





19-71452





MYINT, GERALD





Doctor





68, Union City





19-71448





NGUYEN, TAM





Doctor





44, San Jose





19-71453





POSADA, JUAN





Doctor





58, Cupertino





19-71449





SCZENDZINA, EWELINA





Marketer





42, Gilroy





19-71434





TAYLOR, SCOTT





Doctor





61, Oakland





19-71455





WATSON, HENRY





Doctor





63, Oakland





19-71423





ZHANG, ZHENG





Doctor





62, Saratoga





19-71457





SANTOS, GLENNDA





Marketer





47, Castro Valley





19-71433





MANCUSO, APRIL 





Doctor





38, Los Gatos





19-71445





REYNOLDS, KERISIMASI





Doctor





37, Los Gatos





19-71446





CARIAGA, CATHERINE





Nurse/Case Manager





31, Fremont





19-71458





TIRONA, TERENCE





Nurse/Case Manager





33, Hayward





19-71454





DEL ROSARIO, SAL





Case Manager





44, San Jose





19-71456





GAY, ANDRE NICOLAS





Doctor





39, Union City





19-71460





HASAN, MARIAM





Doctor





37, Milpitas





19-71450





ROY, BELINDA





Nurse/Case Manager





59, Fremont





19-71443





SUNO, NICOLE





Marketer





38, San Leandro





19-71421





TEODORO, STELLA





Nurse/Case Manager





37, Union City





19-71444





TACORDA, HILDA





Marketer





40, Hayward





19-71432





PINA, REBECCA





Marketer





38, Redwood City





19-71442





SINGH, VINEETA





Social Worker





42, Hayward





19-71422





PRESCOTT, CAROLINE





Marketing Director





53, San Ramon





19-71420



Each defendant is charged with illegally influencing patient referrals for federally funded health care through payments, in violation of 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b(b)(2)(A).  In addition, Singh is charged with lying to investigators, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1001, and tampering with witnesses in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1512(b)(3).

The complaints merely allege that crimes have been committed, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.  If convicted, the defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison and a maximum $500,000 fine.  The corporations are subject to a $1,000,000 for each violation.  In addition, Singh faces a maximum statutory penalty of 5 years and a $250,000 fine for the § 1001 charge and a maximum statutory penalty of 20 years and a $250,000 fine for the § 1512 charge.  In addition, the court also may order an additional term of supervised release, fines or other assessments, and restitution, if appropriate.  However, any sentence following conviction would be imposed by the court only after consideration of the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and the federal statute governing the imposition of a sentence, 18 U.S.C. § 3553.

The prosecution is being handled by the Office of the U.S. Attorney, Northern District of California’s new Corporate Fraud Strike Force and is the result of an investigation by the FBI and HHS-OIG.

Docket (0 Docs):   https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10s9YTXqGC6p1fC9oAbP1Qhh282qt13vJfOdQY2zaAI0
  Last Updated: 2022-10-17 17:19:03 UTC
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