Washington, DC: Two Indian-origin brothers from Pennsylvania in the US may be sentenced to over 400 years in prison each for a multi-state racketeering conspiracy.
Bhaskar Savani (60) and Arun Savani (58) have been found guilty for several types of frauds involving visas and healthcare fund. They have also been convicted of money laundering and tax evasion.
The brothers allegedly built a network of businesses known as the Savani Group, which generated millions of dollars through these illegal schemes over several years, prosecutors said.
According to a press release by the US Attorney’s office, their actions formed a long-running criminal enterprise designed to enrich themselves through deception and misuse of government programs, as reported by NDTV.
The brothers orchestrated a wide range of fraudulent activities through their companies and associated entities, authorities said, with Bhaskar Savani, a dentist, being directly linked to the group’s medical-related fraud.
H-1B Visa fraud: The Savani Group filed fraudulent visa applications and petitions to recruit foreign workers, most of whom were from India, prosecutors said. Once hired, these workers were allegedly forced to pay various fees and return portions of their wages to the Savani Group, effectively exploiting their dependency on the company for immigration status.
Healthcare fraud: The brothers were also held guilty of large-scale healthcare fraud targeting the Medicaid programme. Investigators said the Savani Group continued to obtain Medicaid payments even after their dental practices were terminated from Medicaid insurance contracts. They allegedly did this by operating through nominee-owned dental practices, which billed Medicaid on their behalf. Officials said the scheme resulted in more than $30 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims.
Authorities also discovered that the group submitted false Medicaid bills using another dentist’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) on dates when that dentist was actually outside the United States. In addition, procedures were sometimes carried out by uncredentialed dentists, which further violated healthcare regulations.
Money Laundering: The Savani brothers then engaged in money laundering, transferring and concealing the proceeds of healthcare fraud through a complex network of corporate bank accounts tied to various Savani Group entities.
Tax and wire fraud: Authorities said the brothers failed to pay taxes on around $1.6 million in personal income and $1.1 million in unreported employee income. They allegedly disguised personal expenses, such as college tuition payments, property taxes, and maintenance costs for their homes, as business expenses.
Unsafe Medical Devices: Investigations revealed that the group used prototype dental implants labelled “Not For Human Use” and implanted them in patients without their knowledge or consent. These devices had not been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Despite being under investigation and later charged in 2023, the brothers had publicly posted on social media about meeting FBI director Kash Patel and celebrated his appointment.
According to officials, Bhaskar Savani faces a statutory maximum sentence of 420 years in prison, while Arun Savani is due for 415 years.
Aleksandra Radomiak, an associate of the brothers, was also convicted and faces up to 40 years in prison and fines.
While Bhaskar is scheduled to be sentenced on July 8, his brother is likely to be handed down the sentence a day later.
