investigationbureu

[investigationbureu]

Knoxville dentist will repay nearly $1 million after TennCare billing investigation

A Knoxville dentist has agreed to pay nearly $1 million to resolve allegations of false claims to TennCare, according to a news release from the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Dr. Michael Sawaf and his company, Premier Dental Group of Knoxville on Concord Street, violated the False Claims Act and the Tennessee Medicaid False Claims Act by knowingly and improperly submitting false claims, the release said. TennCare prohibits billing of services that are not provided or are unnecessary, or claims with upcharges to receive higher reimbursements.

Two people who worked with the dental group, Erin Ferdowsi and Reja Ferdowsi, have agreed to resolve similar allegations made against them, the agency said.

The amount Sawaf agreed to pay was $985,541. It covers allegations that between Jan. 1, 2016, through Dec. 31, 2020, and a period of time between Aug. 14 and Sept. 11, 2019, the group submitted claims for payment that misidentified credentialed dentists as the provider for services done by uncredentialed dentists.

The settlement was a collaboration between the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of Tennessee, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Tennessee Attorney General's Office and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.

[investigationbureu]

Calgary mortgage broker convicted in fraud scheme where stolen identities used to get illegal loans

Mortgage broker Kalim Khan was at the very least willfully blind to a fraud scheme which used stolen identities to get bogus loans, a Calgary judge ruled Wednesday.

Justice Scott Brooker convicted Kalim Khan of six charges, including fraud, conspiracy to commit fraud and money laundering.

The Court of Queen’s Bench judge said he didn’t believe Khan’s testimony he was unaware the transactions he was involved in with co-conspirators Giovanni Bartolotti and Linh Tran were illegal.

In one instance Khan cashed and distributed a stolen bank draft provided by Bartolotti, including keeping $4,500 for himself.

“I am satisfied that the Crown has proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Mr. Khan was willfully blind to the source of the funds he had from Mr. Bartolotti,” Brooker said.

He was charged along with Bartolotti and Tran in 2016, in connection with a mortgage and vehicle fraud scheme in which victims were bilked of more than $1 million.

Bartolotti was sentenced to five years in prison after he pleaded guilty to conspiracy in connection with a fraud scheme which ran from September 2013 to December 2014.

Tran pleaded guilty to the same charge and is scheduled to face a sentencing hearing on Thursday.

At defence lawyer Efrayim Moldofsky’s request, Brooker ordered a pre-sentence report be prepared on Khan’s background.

But Brooker, who officially retires at the end of May, said if the report is not ready by a scheduled May 22 sentencing date then the hearing will proceed without it.

“I’m really reluctant to hoist this on somebody else,” he said of handing the sentencing hearing over to another judge.

Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston said under normal circumstances he would have asked that Khan’s bail be revoked, but because of the COVID-19 pandemic he consented to his continued release.

[investigationbureu]

Conman gets five years in prison for role in mortgage and vehicle sale fraud

Calgarian Giovanni Bartolotti must serve a five-year prison term for his role in mortgage and vehicle fraud in which lenders were bilked out of nearly $1.3 million.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Scott Brooker on Monday accepted a joint sentencing recommendation from Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston and defence counsel Peter Hoare which included an agreement by Bartolotti to pay restitution of $161,665.

That’s the amount of ill-gotten proceeds investigators were able to trace to Bartolotti, Johnston told Brooker.

Taking part in a fraud scheme which saw lenders defrauded of more than $1 million has landed a city woman, who only took about $6,000 from the ill-gotten proceeds, a three-year prison term.

Justice Scott Brooker sentenced Lihn Tran Thursday to the federal penitentiary term, noting that while she didn’t profit much from the scam she was an integral player.

Brooker said the four-year term sought by Crown prosecutor Steven Johnston was excessive, considering the main player in the multiple-fraud scheme, Giovanni Bartolotti, was sentenced to five years.

Hoare said the Italy-born Bartolotti emigrated to Canada at the age of one and grew up in Calgary.

The judge said there were three aggravating circumstances which justified the five-year sentence proposed by the two sides.

“It was an ongoing scheme that involved a number of participants,” Brooker said of the fraud which occurred between September 2013 and December 2014.

“The effect on the victims was often insidious,” he said.

“There was a high degree of sophistication and planning involved.”

But he said Bartolotti’s guilty plea and apparent remorse weighed in his favour.

Brooker also noted the 49-year-old offender had no prior criminal history.

“He has entered into relatively early guilty plea, which demonstrates a degree of remorse and he’s agreed to a restitution order,” Brooker said.

“He’s made no excuses, he’s simply made an apology and accepted responsibility.”

Bartolotti was arrested along with three others in June 2016 in connection with the scheme, which involved the use of false identities, and accomplices who used phony names to obtain loans.

Kalim Khan and Linh Tran are scheduled to stand trial in November, while allegations against Lindsay Tietz were stayed.

“Mr. Bartolotti seemed to be the mastermind of the scheme, but you were intimately involved,” the Court of Queen’s Bench judge said.

Before proceeding with sentencing submissions, Johnston noted he was prepared to delay the case, since Tran, 40, has an underlying health concern which makes her more susceptible to COVID-19, but the city woman wanted to proceed.

“The Crown was prepared to postpone this, as necessary, to try to minimize Ms. Tran’s risk,” he said, without specifying her condition.

Defence lawyer Vince Semenuk, who sought a two-year sentence, the minimum punishment for frauds exceeding $1 million, said his client wasn’t seeking a lighter term because of the pandemic and her health risk.

Tran pleaded guilty last September to conspiracy to commit fraud with Bartolotti and others, admitted she actively took part in six separate scams to get money lenders to approve loans for mortgages, or other purchases.

Tran laundered close to $450,000, often purchasing gold which was then distributed to Bartolotti and others.

“Your primary involvement was to launder the proceeds of these frauds,” Brooker noted.

He also said this wasn’t a one-off crime.

“They were numerous and they were sophisticated,” Brooker said.

And he said not only were they complicated schemes, Tran played an “integral part” in them.

But one thing which weighed in Tran’s favour, the judge said, was her take in the criminal endeavour, which occurred over a 15-month period in 2013 and 2014.

“Although the various schemes exceeded $1 million, you personally benefitted only around $6,000.”

Brooker also gave Tran credit for her guilty plea, which demonstrated she accepted responsibility for her actions and her lack of a prior criminal record.

“But for this particular matter, you appear to have led a productive and law-abiding life,” he said.

On Wednesday Brooker convicted another player in the scheme, Kalim Khan, of six charges, including conspiracy and money laundering.

[investigationbureu]

Mashtroi me agjencinë turistike:Burg për gruan e ish-futbollistit shqiptar

Junida Fortuzi, bashkëshortja e ish-futbollistit të njohur të kombëtares shqiptare Indrit Fortuzi, u dënua në mungesë me 3 vite e gjysmë burg nga Gjykata e Tiranës, për akuzën e mashtrimit me pasoja të rënda.

Procesi gjyqësor ndaj saj ka nisur që në nëntor të vitit 2015, pasi një 20-vjeçar ngriti padi se agjencia turistike në pronësi të Junida Fortuzit, i kishte shitur 4 bileta turistike me vlerë 1200 euro, të cilat më pas rezultuan të pavlefshme.

Por, përpara denoncimit, Junida Fortuzi dhe bashkëshorti Indrit Fortuzi ishin larguar jashtë Shqipërisë dhe siç bënë të ditur familjarët e tyre, kishin nisur një jetë të re në Amerikën Latine. Asokohe u tha se aryeja e largimit ishte për shkak se ish-futbollisti kishte humbur shuma të madha parash në baste dhe kishte shumë borxhe të pashlyera.

Sakaq pati edhe një tjetër denoncim në emër të agjencisë turistike të Junida Fortuzit, nga një 47-vjeçar që kishte blerë një biletë në shumën 175 euro, biletë e cila rezultoi e pavlefshme në aeroport.

[investigationbureu]

Lajmi i fundit/ Gjykata dënon me 3 vite e 6 muaj burg bashkëshorten e ish-futbollistit të njohur të Tiranës

Gjykata e Tiranës dënon me 3 vite e 6 muaj burg

Junida Fortuzi, bashkëshortja e ish-futbollistit të Tiranës, Indrit Fortuzit, është dënuar me 3 vite e 6 muaj burg në mungesë nga Gjykata e Tiranës.

Vendimi është dhënë pas akuzës për mashtrim në mënyrë të përsëritur të udhëtimeve me agjensinë turistike “Just Travel”.

Skema e mashtrimit konsistonte në marrjen e parave dhe më pas, qytetarëve nuk iu ofrohej shërbimi për të cilin kishin paguar.

Dënimi për bashkëshorten e Indrit Fortuzit është dhënë nga gjyqtarja Vjollca Spahiu. Junida Fortuzi është gjykuar dhe dënuar gjithashtu në mungesë, pasi prej vitesh, çifti është larguar nga Shqipëria, në drejtim të paditur.

Për Junida dhe Indrit Fortuzin u dorëzun disa kallëzime nga qytetarë të cilët nuk kishin marrë shërbimin e ofruar për të udhëtuar drej destinacioneve të prenotuara.

Të akuzuarit në fjalë kanë fituar mijëra euro, ndërsa Indrit Fortuzi po hetohet në mënyrë të veçuar nga bashkëshortja e tij, e cila ka marrë tashmë dënimin, edhe pse në mungesë.