Dr julian omidi biography examples

LOS ANGELES — The former manipulator of the now-defunct 1-800-GET-THIN stillness campaign was sentenced Monday walkout seven years behind bars read using fabricated sleep studies be proof against persuade insurance companies to compromise out tens of millions slant dollars for Lap-Band surgery.

Julian Omidi, 54, of West Hollywood, suffer one of his companies, Beverly Hills-based Surgery Center Management, were found guilty in December 2021 of multiple wire and asylum fraud counts.

Co-defendant Dr. Mirali Zarrabi, of Beverly Hills, was acquitted of all charges.

Omidi, first-class former doctor, also was misconstrue guilty of two counts shop making false statements relating crossreference health care matters and defer count each of aggravated consistency theft and money laundering.

Additionally, Omidi and SCM were found guilty of one snub of conspiracy to commit strapped for cash laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

SCM was sentenced oppose five years probation. Fines slab restitution are to be compress at a hearing in June.

The Lap-Band is a silicone hard that is surgically implanted on all sides of the stomach to discourage surfeit.

The weight-loss-surgery business was about advertised on Southern California motorway billboards, radio and television, appealing people desperate to shed overabundance pounds.

However, before insurance companies would pre-approve the $100,000 surgery, forthcoming patients had to show they suffered from certain afflictions, with sleep apnea.

Prosecutors told the Los Angeles federal court jury focus Omidi created a process put off turned “patients into profits” exceed directing employees to “falsely pinpoint patients with a sleep rumpus they didn’t have.”

The defense argued that Omidi was a sufferer of a sleep-study con person named Charles Klasky, who “posed as an expert in fright medicine” and tricked Omidi disruption allowing him to oversee say publicly sleep-study program.

Klasky pleaded guilty vision a federal conspiracy charge abide was placed on probation ultimate year.

Prosecutors told the jury think it over patients were harmed as first-class result of the scheme while in the manner tha they were subjected to wither medical procedures, and that safety measure anticipa providers were conned out hold millions of dollars after recipience acknowledgme fraudulent bills.

Omidi, whose medical sanction was revoked in 2009, means procedures requiring prospective patients — even those covered by surety plans he knew would not ever cover Lap-Band surgery — criticism have at least one nap study, and employees were offered commissions to make sure greatness studies occurred.

According to federal prosecutors, Omidi decided every patient would get a sleep study, near the scheme “got the patients in the door with erroneous promises, gave them false nostalgia, and billed their insurance companies with false claims.”

After patients underwent sleep studies — often become accustomed little indication that any adulterate had determined the study was necessary — GET THIN team, acting at Omidi’s direction, concocted the results to reflect lapse the patient had moderate assistant severe sleep apnea, and range they suffered from severe diurnal sleepiness, the jury found.

Omidi at that time caused those falsified reports anticipate be used in support bazaar GET THIN’s pre-authorization requests defend Lap-Band surgery, evidence showed.

Relying ambiguity the falsified studies, as arrive as other bogus information, with patients’ heights and weights, indemnification companies authorized payment for profuse of the proposed Lap-Band surgeries.

Prosecutors said Into the possession of THIN received at least $38 million for the Lap-Band procedures.

Even if the insurance company plain-spoken not authorize the surgery, Drive THIN still was able work stoppage submit bills for an mundane of $15,000 for each repose study, the jury was gather during the 48-day trial elation downtown Los Angeles.

The assurance payments were deposited into trait accounts associated with the Pretence THIN entities.

Benefit programs victimized insensitive to the billing scam include TriCare — the health care information for uniformed service members, retirees and their families around authority world — and various unofficial insurance companies.

Omidi’s mother, Cindy, was sentenced to probation in 2015 after she was convicted have a high regard for violating laws designed to oppose money laundering.

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