The owner of two medical clinics in Brooklyn pleaded guilty to charges of fraud in the health sector and money laundering in the amount of $ 55 million.
According to the Ministry of justice, Valentin Kovalenko, 47, and her associates used the fake bills Medicare and Medicaid in his criminal scheme. In accordance with the agreement on the plea Kovalenko agreed to pay about 29.3 million dollars. In recognition of the women said that it was the amount she received through criminal manipulation.
Associates Kovalenko was paying people to go to her clinic for unnecessary services for the diagnosis and treatment so she could create dummy accounts to cheat the government. After that, she wrote checks to third parties, because they allegedly provide services to the clinic, but in fact the funds were used for regular bribes to patients.
At the moment, at least 10 people have pleaded guilty to involvement in the scheme, including former Directors of both clinics Kovalenko, three former physicians, former physical therapist, three ambulance drivers and former patients who have received illegal kickbacks.
It is not known when will be announced the guilty verdict and prison sentence Kovalenko.
