Owners of Texas Clinic Accused of Healthcare Fraud

A group of health clinic owners in Houston will head to federal court after being indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud, money laundering and kickbacks, according to a joint announcement by federal officials and investigators.

A grand jury returned the indictment on November 2 and named Anukul “Andy” Dass, his sister Anurag “Anna” Dass and Stephen Vincent Hunt as the alleged perpetrators. Hunt turned himself in after an initial appearance in court, and the Dass siblings were scheduled to appear in front of a magistrate.

The Dasses owned and operated A&A Pain and Wellness Center Inc. in southwest Houston. According to the complaint, between 2010 and 2017, the two filed false claims with the Office of Worker Compensation Programs for patients Hunt sent to the clinic. Hunt is alleged to have been a former injured employee with the U.S. Postal Service who filed an injury claim of his own with OWCP.

The Dass siblings are accused of conspiring with Hunt for him to direct injured workers to A&A for health care services and treatment. In return, Hunt would get kickbacks from the center for every claim OWCP paid out. Hunt is also accused of charging these injured workers a fee for his services through Zentec, a company he controlled.

Anna Dass allegedly filed additional false claims for services not rendered or services that were billed at higher rates than what was actually performed. In total, federal investigators estimate the scheme defrauded the government more than $9.1 million.

Whistleblowers can help reveal healthcare fraud

In many of these cases, it is whistleblowers who raise the alarm for the government and prevent further harm from occurring. It’s quite common for these issues to go on for years without detection, simply because the government is not looking for them. This makes the services of whistleblowers crucial to exposing wrongdoing.

To learn about the steps you should take if you are aware of wrongdoing or illegal activity within your business or organization, meet with a skilled Dallas attorney at Whistleblower Law for Managers