2023-10-02 04:31:58
The doctor obtained the money from supposed COVID services from fake patients.
Photo: ADEM ALTAN/AFP/Getty Images
Orange County Doctor Allegedly Defrauded of Nearly $150 Million of a federal health services program against COVID.
Newport Coast physician Anthony Hao Dinh ran clinics in Westminster and Garden Grove. He is a licensed doctor of osteopathy who was an otolaryngologist, as well as a facial plastic surgeon, according to the United States Attorney’s Office.
Dinh, 64, allegedly stole millions of dollars by filing reimbursement claims under the COVID-19 Uninsured Program by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA),
The United States Department of Health and Human Services provides claim reimbursements to healthcare providers for testing, treating or administering vaccines to uninsured patients against coronaviruss.
Keep reading: NASA employee in Pasadena pleads guilty to committing COVID aid fraud
From July 2020 to March 2021, Dinh allegedly submitted false claims for treating patients who already had COVID insurance.services that were not actually provided and services that were not medically necessary, officials said.
“As a result of these false and fraudulent claims, HRSA made payments to defendant Dinh, through his (medical) practices, in the amount of approximately $150 million,” court documents say.
Doctor submitted COVID relief reimbursement claims for bogus uninsured patients. Photo: Mario Tama/Getty Images
The prosecutors assured that it was “nation’s largest fraud scheme targeting HRSA COVID-19 uninsured program discovered at this time”.
Keep reading: Orange County man admits applying for $1.2 million in federal COVID relief with stolen identities
Dinh was also accused of submitting around 65 fraudulent loan applications totaling nearly $8 million.. The programs provided the doctor with nearly $2.8 million in funding.
Orange County doctor charged with 12 counts of wire fraud, five counts of money laundering (two of these counts alleged the transfer of more than $11 million to personal stock trading accounts), and one count of obstruction of justice.
Dinh regained freedom after posting a bail of $7 million dollars.
An arraignment hearing is scheduled for October 30. in the United States District Court in the city of Santa Ana.
If convicted, Dinh could receive a sentence of up to 20 years in prison for wire fraud and three of the money laundering counts.. For the other two counts of money laundering, the sentence can be up to 10 years, while for the obstruction of justice charge the sentence could be up to 20 years for submitting false patient records in response to a subpoena from the grand jury.
There are two other people accused in this case.
Dinh’s sister, Hanna (“Hang”) Trinh Dinh, 65, pleaded guilty in April to conspiracy to commit wire fraud.as well as admitting to helping submit fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) and Economic Injury Disaster Loan applications seeking more than $260,000 in COVID relief funds.
Besides. Matthew, Hoang Ho, 66, of Melbourne, Florida, was indicted May 2 by a grand jury on charges of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering. in connection with PPP and EIDL applications. The trial is scheduled for February 6, 2024.
Keep reading:
· There are 458 accused of fraud in times of the Covid-19 pandemic
· Irvine man sentenced to 4 1/2 years in prison for spending Covid-19 relief funds on Ferraris and luxury vacations
· Orange County man pleads guilty to defrauding ex-partners and friends of $1.5 million
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