DETROIT (Diya TV) — Yogesh K. Pancholi, a 43-year-old Indian national residing in Northville, Michigan, has been handed a nine-year prison sentence for orchestrating a nearly $2.8 million healthcare fraud and wire fraud conspiracy. The case, which unfolded in Livonia, Michigan, involved a series of illicit activities including aggravated identity theft, money laundering, and witness tampering, as per the U.S. State Department.
Pancholi, the owner and operator of Shring Home Care Inc. (Shring), a home health company, utilized deceptive tactics to mask his ownership of the entity despite being excluded from billing Medicare. Through the use of others’ personal information, Pancholi maneuvered to obscure his involvement in the company’s operations.
Court documents and trial evidence revealed a brazen scheme where Pancholi and his collaborators engaged in fraudulent billing practices, managing to secure nearly $2.8 million in Medicare payments over a mere two-month period, all for services never rendered.
The proceeds of this fraudulent activity were funneled through bank accounts associated with shell corporations before ultimately being directed into Pancholi’s accounts in India. Moreover, in an attempt to obstruct justice, Pancholi, operating under an alias, circulated false and defamatory emails to federal agencies, aimed at discrediting a key government witness and impeding their testimony.
Following a thorough investigation led by the FBI Detroit Field Office and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Pancholi was brought to trial. In September 2023, a federal jury in the Eastern District of Michigan convicted him on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit healthcare and wire fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, aggravated identity theft, and witness tampering.
Acting Assistant Attorney General Nicole M. Argentieri, alongside Special Agents in Charge Cheyvoryea “Shea” Gibson of the FBI Detroit Field Office and Mario Pinto of HHS-OIG, announced Pancholi’s sentencing.
Initiatives such as the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program have seen over 5,400 defendants charged with fraudulent billings exceeding $27 billion since its inception.
