Anurag Dass a.k.a. Anna Dass, 49, of Houston, Tex., used her clinic, A&A Pain and Wellness Center Inc. to carry out an illegal kickback and money laundering scheme. Anna Dass’ brother, Anukul “Andy” Dass, 44, and Stephen Vincent Hunt,70, helped her to steal $9.1 million in a workers’ compensation fraud scheme involving injured postal workers.
Anna Dass operated A&A Pain and Wellness Center Inc. with her brother Ankul, also of Houston. (That explains the two A’s in the company’s name.) Hunt, of Waxahachie, directed patients to the siblings’ company for medical treatment and health care services in return for kickbacks. Anna Dass and others submitted false claims with the Office of Worker Compensation Programs (OWCP) on behalf of the patients that Hunt sent her way.
You might find it interesting to note that Hunt was a former injured employee of the U.S. Postal Service (USPS) who had filed his own injury claim with OWCP. (You could say he had some experience in the area of submitting injury claims.) The Dass siblings paid Hunt a fee (or kickback) for every claim that OWCP paid. Hunt made even more money by charging a fee to the injured federal workers he referred to A&A Pain and Wellness Center Inc. He billed his services through a company he controlled, “Zentec.” (That way, if the OWCP didn’t pay, at least he got a little compensation from his victims.)
Anna Dass, who was the manager of clinical operations at the clinic, filed false claims for services that were not authorized or not performed by a licensed physical therapist. (She illegally received $2,242,899 in reimbursements.)
Anna Dass pleaded guilty to illegal kickbacks and money laundering. She was sentenced to serve two years in prison to be immediately followed by two years of supervised release. (And she gets to pay back full restitution of $2,242,899 too.)
Co-conspirators Hunt and brother Andy were also convicted for their parts in the workers’ compensation scheme. They both pleaded guilty to illegal kickbacks. (Let’s hope these two get what’s coming to them for causing all pain, and no wellness for their victims.)
Today’s Fraud of the Day comes from a Department of Justice, “Clinic owner sentenced in illegal kickback and money laundering scheme,” dated January 6, 2022.
HOUSTON – A Houston clinic owner has been ordered to federal prison following her convictions in an illegal kickback and money laundering scheme at a Harwin Drive business, announced U.S. Attorney Jennifer B. Lowery.
Anurag Dass aka Anna Dass, 49, Houston, pleaded guilty to illegal kickbacks and money laundering for her role in the scheme in August 2019.
