Judge Orders Winnetka Man Four Years for Role in $16M Medicare Fraud Scheme

A San Fernando Valley man was sentenced Monday to four years and nine months behind bars for his role in conning Medicare out of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and then helping launder the illicit proceeds.

Karpis Srapyan, 35, was also ordered to pay restitution of $3.2 million to Medicare, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

The Winnetka man pleaded guilty in July in Los Angeles federal court to counts of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and money laundering.

According to court documents, Srapyan and others worked together to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. The defendants used four sham hospice companies, including three owned by foreign nationals but controlled by the defendants, according to fe