Opinion ID: 3165208
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: introduction

Text: Mehran Javidan (“Javidan”) and Vishnu Pradeep Meda (“Meda”) worked together at Acure Home Care (“Acure”). Javidan, as a part-owner, handled the daily operations. Meda worked for Acure as a physical therapist. In mid-2008, Javidan approached her friend Muhammed Shahab (“Shahab”) for help entering the home-health business. At that time, Shahab was involved with at least two fraudulent home-health agencies—Patient Choice and All American.1 Shahab allowed Javidan to shadow him, and it was during this time that she learned the fraudulent scheme that she would later duplicate. In November 2008, Javidan, Shahab, and two other individuals purchased Acure. Javidan was a twenty-percent owner of Acure. However, for all intents and purposes, she managed the business. She signed Acure’s Medicare application and maintained payroll. She was also the only person with signature authority on Acure’s bank account and, most importantly, was solely responsible for Acure’s Medicare billing decisions. 1 On September 17, 2009, federal authorities executed a search warrant on Patient Choice and All American. Subsequently, they were shut down. Nos. 13-2598/2599 United v. Meda, et al. Page 3 Javidan illegally recruited patients to Acure two different ways. First, she paid “kickbacks” to corrupt physicians in exchange for referrals. Second, she hired “marketers” to recruit patients by offering Medicare beneficiaries cash or prescription medications in exchange for their Medicare numbers and signatures on various blank Medicare forms. After obtaining the beneficiaries’ information, Acure’s employees completed the necessary documents and submitted fraudulent reimbursement forms to Medicare for services that were either unnecessary or never rendered. Many of the recruited patients were not homebound and/or never received care. Javidan hired Meda to be a physical therapist at Acure. Meda participated in the fraud at Acure by signing revisit notes for patients that he did not visit. He also told Javidan which patients were not homebound and which patients demanded money in exchange for their Medicare information. The government filed a sealed indictment on February 3, 2011, charging Javidan and Meda with health care fraud conspiracy under 18 U.S.C. § 1347, and one count of conspiracy to receive kickbacks under 18 U.S.C. § 371.2 On November 29, 2012, the grand jury retuned an eleven count superseding indictment. At trial, Javidan called four witnesses and testified herself. She asserted that she did not participate in any fraudulent activity and that she was generally unaware of the fraudulent business practices at Acure. Meda called no witnesses. The jury found both Javidan and Meda guilty.3 Javidan and Meda were sentenced to terms of 65 and 46 months of imprisonment, respectively. The pair timely appealed.