CHANDIGARH: An Indian-origin national has been declared a fugitive in the United States for allegedly defrauding the Medicare healthcare scheme of USD 93 million by submitting false claims for genetic tests. The man, identified as Khadeer Khan Mohammed, is now believed to be in Hyderabad, India.
The Department of Health and Human Services said Mohammed purportedly submitted, or directed others to submit, claims for laboratory genetic testing ineligible for reimbursement.
Over the course of the conspiracy, Mohammed used American Premier to submit approximately USD 93 million in alleged fraudulent Medicare claims, resulting in payments of at least USD 65 million.
The Office of the Inspector General, Department of Health and Human Services said that in a 10-day period in 2023 alone, Medicare paid approximately USD 13 million against suspected fraudulent claims.
According to the Department of Health, Mohammed owned American Premier Labs LLC in Richardson, Texas, from about August 2023 to October 2024, in the Northern District of Texas and elsewhere.
He purportedly directed others to submit claims that were ineligible for reimbursement, not requested by authorized medical providers, and not provided as represented through the laboratory. He allegedly used physicians’ personal identifying information without their knowledge or consent to submit claims for genetic tests for beneficiaries with whom the physicians had no treatment relationship.
"These tests were not ordered by the physicians and were not used in the care of the beneficiaries," the Department stated.
According to the Department of Health, the claims were submitted for Medicare beneficiaries whose doctors had no treatment relationship with them. The Department alleged that the identities of several doctors were used to make the laboratory claims appear legitimate.
US authorities have now listed Mohammed as a fugitive and said they believe he may be in Hyderabad, India. Meanwhile, the Department of Health and the FBI are investigating a criminal case against him. They have reportedly already seized nearly USD 6 million from bank accounts allegedly operated by Mohammed.
