Previous Cases of Healthcare Program Scams by Armenian-Americans

Armenian-Americans first appeared in a fraud scandal in 1999, when new Armenian immigrants in Califronia defrauded the Medi-Cal for an amount of $1 billion making it one of the largest frauds against a state in U.S. history. Medi-Cal is California's name for Medicaid, the state program for providing healthcare for the poor. The Armenian immigrants billed the program with fake claims for crutches, adult diapers, prescriptions and other supplies and services which were not performed.

In 2008, six Armenian Americans were arrested for committing another fraud crime stealing about $2 million from federal and private insurance companies before they were stopped. The arrested were Karapet Khacheryan, 37; Hovik Joe Altunyan, 30; Edkar Mikirtijyan, 25; Grigor Khorikyan, 29; Vahan E. Harutyunyan, 32; and Smbat Khachtryan, 26 from North Hollywood, Glendale and Van Nuys in California who were charged with 62 counts of conspiracy to commit a crime, money laundering and grand theft of personal property. The crimes occurred between March 2005 and September 2006.