美国司法部在一份声明中表示，一名印度裔美国实验室老板被控策划了一起涉案金额达6620万美元（约合6.287亿印度卢比）的欺诈案，他涉嫌为38万次新冠病毒检测开具账单，而其实验室从未进行过这些检测。现年52岁的拉杰什·“拉杰”·帕特尔来自伊利诺伊州绍姆堡，被控五项电信欺诈罪。如果罪名成立，他每项罪名最高可判处20年监禁。
An Indian-origin laboratory owner in the US has been accused of running a $66.2 million ( ₹628.7 crore) fraud scheme by allegedly billing for 3.8 lakh COVID-19 tests that his lab never conducted, the department of justice said in a statement. Rajesh “Raj” Patel, 52, from Schaumburg, Illinois, has been charged with five counts of wire fraud. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison on each count.
案件详情如下。根据声明，2021年5月至2022年4月期间，帕特尔作为伊利诺伊州一家临床实验室的共同所有者，涉嫌为与Meridian Medical Staffing公司相关的样本伪造了38万份阴性检测结果。随后，他向美国卫生资源与服务管理局（HRSA）无保险计划为这些检测开具账单。该计划由联邦政府资助，为没有医疗保险的人支付新冠病毒检测费用。
What is the case? Between May 2021 and April 2022, Patel, co-owner of a clinical laboratory in Illinois, allegedly created 3.8 lakh fake negative test results for samples linked to Meridian Medical Staffing Inc. He then billed the US Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) Uninsured Program for these tests, according to the statement. The programme was federally funded and covered the cost of COVID-19 tests for people without health insurance.
检方称，帕特尔同时还是伊利诺伊州希尔赛德一家临床实验室的首席运营官，他伪造阴性检测结果以向联邦计划申领款项。法庭文件显示，帕特尔的实验室在新冠疫情期间处理聚合酶链式反应（PCR）检测。大约在2021年3月，该实验室与Meridian Medical Staffing公司达成协议。根据该安排，实验室向Meridian支付数千万美元，用于采集检测样本并提供所谓患者的相关生物学信息。
Prosecutors say that Patel, who was also the chief operating officer of a clinical laboratory in Illinois' Hillside fabricated negative test results to claim payments from the federal programme. Court documents show that Patel’s laboratory processed polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests during the COVID-19 pandemic. Around March 2021, the laboratory entered into an agreement with Meridian Medical Staffing Inc. Under the arrangement, the lab paid Meridian tens of millions of dollars to collect test samples and provide related biological information about the purported patients.
然而，声明称，这些患者中有许多人要么并不存在，要么从未向Meridian提供过样本。帕特尔的实验室据称向该计划提交了约6620万美元的欺诈性索赔，并收到了约4410万美元的付款。声明补充称，帕特尔个人从该骗局中获取了近2800万美元。
However, many of these patients either did not exist or had never provided samples to Meridian, the statement said. Patel’s laboratory allegedly submitted about $66.2 million in fraudulent claims to the programme and received approximately $44.1 million in payments.
“利用危机谋取私利”司法部欺诈部门助理部长科林·M·麦克唐纳在声明中说：“这名被告据称利用一场全球性危机谋取私利，捏造了数十万份新冠病毒检测——然后向纳税人收费。”
联邦调查局芝加哥分局主管特工瑞安·韦伦说：“打击金融欺诈、追究那些非法获取联邦援助以谋取私利者的责任，仍然是联邦调查局的首要任务。”
韦伦补充道：“大流行援助计划旨在为社会弱势群体提供救命稻草。受托管理联邦医疗资金的人有责任诚实、准确地开具账单，联邦调查局及我们的合作伙伴将不惜一切代价，确保那些为达到自己的目的而欺骗和窃取纳税人钱财的人受到法律的严惩。”
Patel personally obtained nearly $28 million from the scheme, the statement added.‘Exploited crisis for personal gain’Assistant attorney general Colin M McDonald of the justice department’s fraud division said in a statement, “This defendant allegedly exploited a global crisis for personal gain, fabricating hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 tests – then billing the taxpayer for it.”FBI Chicago special agent in charge Ryan Whalen said, “Fighting financial fraud and holding accountable those who unlawfully obtain federal assistance for personal profit remains a top priority for the FBI.”“Pandemic assistance programs were designed to provide a lifeline to vulnerable members of society. Those who are entrusted with federal healthcare dollars have a responsibility to bill honestly and accurately, and the FBI and our partners will stop at nothing to ensure that those who deceive and steal taxpayer dollars for their own purposes face full justice,” Whalen added.
司法部表示，其项目自2007年以来已在涉嫌向联邦医疗保健项目和私人保险公司欺诈性开具账单超过450亿美元的案件中，起诉了6200多名被告。
The justice department said its programme has charged more than 6,200 defendants since 2007 in cases involving over $45 billion in alleged fraudulent billing to federal healthcare programmes and private insurers.