Stowaway Found at Port of Houston Convicted

A federal jury found an internal medicine doctor and hospital owner guilty today for their roles in a multimillion health care fraud scheme, announced Assistant Attorney General Brian A. Benczkowski of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division and U.S. Attorney Ryan K. Patrick of the Southern District of Texas.

A federal jury found a South Florida patient recruiter guilty today for her role in a scheme involving approximately $600,000 in Medicare claims for home health care that were procured through the payment of kickbacks.

A naturalized U.S. citizen residing in Alexandria, Virginia pleaded guilty today to a felony charge of having fraudulently obtained U.S. citizenship.

Two St. John the Baptist Parish, Louisiana, residents were arrested today on an indictment charging them with conspiring to defraud the United States and aiding and assisting in the preparation of fraudulent tax returns, announced Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General Richard E. Zuckerman of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney Peter G. Strasser of the Eastern District of Louisiana.

The Justice Department announced today the filing of civil forfeiture complaints seeking the forfeiture and recovery of approximately $38 million in assets allegedly associated with an international conspiracy to launder funds misappropriated from 1Malaysia Development Berhad (1MDB), a Malaysian sovereign wealth fund. Combined with civil forfeiture complaints filed in July 2016 seeking more than $1 billion in assets, and civil forfeiture complaints filed in June 2017 seeking approximately $540 million in assets, this case represents the largest action brought under the Department’s Kleptocracy Asset Recovery Initiative. Assets now subject to forfeiture in this case total approximately $1.7 billion.

A federal court in Orlando, Florida, entered a permanent injunction against Ndaiziwei Kaya Chipungu and Society Financial Solutions LLC, barring them from preparing federal tax returns for others and owning or operating a tax preparation business, the Justice Department today announced. The order was signed by Judge G. Kendall Sharp of the U.S. District Court for the Middle District of Florida. 

“The Department is pleased that the Court granted our motion today and we look forward to trying this case to protect consumers who are harmed by the conduct alleged in the indictment,” said Assistant Attorney General Makan Delrahim.

Thank you for that kind introduction, Dean Ruger. It is a great honor to join you here.