Two California residents, Karpis Srapyan, 35, of Winnetka, and Susanna Harutyunyan, 39, also of Winnetka, have pleaded guilty for their roles in a large-scale Medicare fraud and money laundering operation involving fake hospice companies. The federal government says the scheme stole nearly $16 million in taxpayer money meant for end-of-life care.
Fake Hospice Companies Used to Drain Millions from Medicare
Srapyan admitted that he and others — including co-defendants Petros Fichidzhyan and Juan Carlos Esparza — worked together to submit false claims to Medicare for hospice services that were never provided and weren’t medically necessary. They did this using four sham hospice companies. One was owned by Esparza, and the other three were falsely registered under the names of foreign nationals but secretly controlled by the group.
To hide their actions, the conspirators used stolen identities, including the names of two deceased doctors, to make the false billing look legitimate. They also used other people’s personal information to open bank accounts, sign office leases, and communicate with Medicare. In total, Medicare paid nearly $16 million to these fake hospice businesses.
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After collecting the stolen funds, Srapyan and his co-defendants began moving the money through a wide network of fake accounts. This was done to cover up where the money came from — a common form of money laundering. According to court documents, over $3.2 million was moved between accounts owned by sham hospice companies and accounts in the names of foreign nationals, all of which were under the control of the fraud team.
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Harutyunyan, who is married to co-defendant Mihran Panosyan, played a direct role in hiding the money. Investigators say she helped maintain fake documents, ID cards, checkbooks, and credit cards linked to these foreign names. These were stored in her home and in another property under her name. She also spent some of the fraudulent money on personal luxuries — including payments for a BMW automobile.
Panosyan, her husband, has also pleaded guilty to money laundering and is awaiting sentencing. The fraudulent network operated for years before being dismantled by federal agents.
Guilty Pleas and Sentencing Dates Set
Karpis Srapyan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering. He is scheduled to be sentenced on October 6, facing up to 20 years in federal prison. Susanna Harutyunyan, who pleaded guilty to money laundering, is set to be sentenced on November 17 and faces up to 10 years behind bars. She also faces possible deportation.
Co-defendant Petros Fichidzhyan previously pleaded guilty to health care fraud, identity theft, and money laundering. He was sentenced in May to 12 years in prison. Mihran Panosyan, Harutyunyan’s husband, entered his guilty plea in June and is scheduled to be sentenced on September 8. Juan Carlos Esparza, another co-defendant and hospice company owner, is due for a change-of-plea hearing on July 14.
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Ongoing Federal Efforts to Combat Hospice Fraud
This case is part of a broader effort by the Department of Justice (DOJ) to crack down on hospice fraud in the Los Angeles area. In recent years, the DOJ and federal partners have been aggressively targeting those who abuse Medicare systems through fake hospice billing.
The announcement was made by Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the DOJ’s Criminal Division; Akil Davis, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office; and Christian J. Schrank, Deputy Inspector General for Investigations at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG).
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI and HHS-OIG. Prosecution is being handled by Trial Attorneys Michael Bacharach, Sarah E. Edwards, and Allison L. McGuire of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section. Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara B. Vavere is managing the asset forfeiture.
Since 2007, the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, part of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, has charged more than 5,800 defendants, recovering over $30 billion in stolen funds from federal health care programs and private insurers.