In San Diego, dentist Husam Aldairi and five of his employees have been charged with allegedly defrauding the state Medi-Cal program of nearly $900,000, as announced by California Attorney General Rob Bonta’s office on Thursday.
The individuals charged include Aldairi, Rawaa Attar, Lilyan Krikorian, Inci Narin, Laith Alani, and Fadi Shammas. They face felony charges of conspiracy to commit a crime and Medi-Cal fraud.
Aldairi’s clinics were contracted with the Borrego Community Health Foundation, a federally qualified health center serving Medi-Cal patients in underserved communities. Instead of being reimbursed for specific services, Aldairi was entitled to compensation for each patient visit.
However, he allegedly submitted fraudulent bills for services that were either never provided or claimed for multiple days. From August 29, 2016, to October 20, 2020, Aldairi and his employees purportedly billed over $847,000 from patients, according to the attorney general’s office.