Indian-origin man charged with defrauding US govt by presenting fake bills for Covid-19 tests
Indian-origin man charged with defrauding US govt by presenting fake bills for Covid-19 tests
WASHINGTON: (Oct 20) An Indian-origin man has been accused of defrauding the US government of USD 66 million by presenting bills for 3.8 lakh Covid-19 tests that his laboratory never performed.
Between May 2021 and April 2022, Rajesh Patel, the co-owner of an Illinois-based clinical laboratory, created 3.8 lakh fake “negative” results on specimens provided by Meridian Medical Staffing Inc. and billed them to the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Uninsured Program, the Department of Justice said in a statement.
The federally funded program covered the costs of Covid-19 tests for persons without health insurance coverage.
