A Glendale doctor has been sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for orchestrating a Medicare fraud scheme that billed over $45 million for services that were never rendered, funding a lavish lifestyle that included luxury purchases and extensive travel.
Violetta Mailyan, 45, was convicted in May on nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstruction of an investigation into a healthcare offense. Prosecutors detailed an elaborate scheme where Mailyan, owner-operator of Healthy Way Medical Center, disregarded Medicare's guidelines for Botox coverage and fabricated medical records to facilitate fraudulent billing.
Evidence presented by the Office of Inspector General and the FBI revealed that Mailyan billed Medicare for thousands of Botox injections that were never administered. Notably, she submitted claims for services performed while she was on vacation in various locations, including Mexico, Hawaii, and Las Vegas. In one instance, Mailyan billed over $200,000 for purported Botox treatments in California while she was vacationing in Cabo.
The investigation further uncovered Mailyan's attempts to obstruct justice by falsifying medical records and forging Medicare beneficiary signatures when federal investigators began closing in. This included forging a signature for a patient who was incarcerated at the time the treatment was allegedly provided.
The illicit funds were used to finance Mailyan's extensive travels and acquire luxury items, such as a 17th-century crossbow valued at $12,000 and a $3,000 painting. The jury also determined that several assets, including a Tesla Cybertruck, four properties valued at over $7 million, and significant sums in bank and brokerage accounts totaling $7 million, were proceeds of the fraud and subject to forfeiture.
In addition to her prison sentence, Mailyan has been ordered to forfeit more than $16 million in seized assets, including real estate, personal property, and securities. She is also required to pay $32 million in restitution to Medicare.
