The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) COVID-19 Uninsured Program was designed to prevent the spread of the pandemic by providing access to testing and treatment for uninsured patients. After all, can’t keep the curve down by testing the insured only. That would be a little too much like the treatment of the third class of the Titanic. Not to compare the CARES Act to a sinking ship! The Uninsured Program ultimately ceased operating due to the exhaustion of funding, no thanks to one Dr. Anthony Hao Dinh. But again, not to compare the CARES Act to a sinking ship!
According to authorities, Dr. Anthony Hao Dinh was the second highest biller in the country to the Uninsured Program. Should have been a red flag immediately. Dr. Dinh allegedly submitted $230 million in fraudulent claims for treatment of patients who were actually insured, billed for services that were not rendered, and billed for services that were not medically necessary. As a result of the scheme targeting the Uninsured Program, Dr. Dinh and his companies were paid more than $153 million.
Unrelated to this scheme, Dr. Dinh with two other individuals allegedly submitted over 70 fraudulent loan applications under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan (EIDL) Program. He fraudulently obtained over $3 million in loan funds. Because there is no limit to what a fraudster thinks they should steal. And stealing $153 million from the Uninsured Program just wasn’t enough.
After being arrested on April 12 and subsequently released on a $7 million bond, Dr. Dinh is scheduled to be arraigned in United States District Court on May 22, 2023. If he were to be convicted, Dr. Dinh would face 50 years in federal prison. But don’t expect full restitution of the stolen funds. Dr. Dinh used the proceeds for high-risk options trading, losing over $100 million in these investments.
Kudos to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of the Inspector General in this investigation.
Today’s Fraud Of The Day is based on article “California Doctor Faces $290 Million In COVID-19-Related Fraud Charges” published by The Epoch Times on April 29, 2023
A doctor in Orange County, California, has been charged by federal prosecutors for orchestrating approximately $230 million worth of fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Department of Justice announced the charges against Dr. Anthony Ha Dinh and 17 other individuals on April 20. The total “intended fraud loss” among all 18 defendants is over $490 million, in which Dinh accounts for about 60 percent.
