(Image source from: 3 NRIs convicted in $15 million fraud case)

A  federal jury in the US has convicted three Indian medical professionals bor being a part of a $15 million medicare fraud scheme in the country.

The three NRIs include 30-year-old physical therapy assistant Jigar Patel, 43-year-old physical therapist Shahzad Mirza and 38-year-old foreign medical school graduate Srinivas Reddy, who doesn't hold a license to practice medicine.

Acting assistant attorney general David A O'Neil of criminal division in justice department said that each of them have been found guilty of conspiring to commit health care fraud related to a medicare scheme that was active in the period between July 2008 to September 2011. The scheme was functional at healthcare facilities in Detroit.

Besides, Patel and Mirza were found guilty of two counts of health care fraud. The duo had submitted false claims to federal insurance programme medicare for home health services.

Reddy was convicted of three counts of health care fraud for submitting false claims connected to physician home visits.

Moreover, Patel was also found guilty of one count of money laundering via MI Healthcare Staffing, which he owns.

During the trial evidence suggested that the beneficiaries pre-signed medical paperwork that was provided to Patel and other physical therapist assistants. They filled in false information showing that medical care was provided. Actually it was not provided.

Mirza, Patel and others would provide their signature on the paperwork purpoting that they had provided services.

(Picture Source: yespunjab.com)

(AW: Pratima Tigga)