Grabbing yet another headline, Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced the indictment of four individuals and numerous companies for their involvement in an alleged Medicaid Fraud Scheme to the tune of $5.7 million. According to Attorney General Cuomo, three men, David Ibragimov, his son Arthur Ibragimov and his son-in-law Mikhail Isakov, operated three dental clinics in New York City (Bronx, Brooklyn and Queens). Although they owned these establishments, the men were not dentists and, if true, were not permitted to own those dental clinics.
It is alleged that these men had arrangements with dentists that they hired. This deal was that the dentists must pay the men’s companies – AN International LLC, MA Concord LLC and MB Globus LLC – two thirds of the revenues received through Medicaid. Compounding matters, it is alleged that “flyer boys,” the term us for recruiters, brought Medicaid patients to the clinic for treatment that was unecessary. In return, it is alleged that the “flyer boys” were compensated as well as the patient. It is alleged that not only did these patients receive cash and unecessary procedures, but sometimes they were paid with electronics such as CD players as well as coupons for McDonalds. It is alleged by the Attorney General that the defendants were so zealous that they pushed the dentists in their clinics to force “Medicaid recipients to agree to being fitted for dentures the same day their teeth were extracted and before their gums could heal.”