Three people, two of them siblings, have been indicted for their alleged participation in a workers’ compensation fraud scheme.
A grand jury returned a 27-count indictment against Anukul Dass (AKA Andy Dass), 41, and his sister Anurang Dass (AKA Anna Dass), 46, and Stephen Vincent Hunt, 67, all of Texas. The indictment alleged that the Dass siblings and Hunt engaged in conspiracy to commit wire fraud, kickbacks and money laundering, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Texas.
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The Dass siblings operated the A&A Pain and Wellness Center in Houston. Authorities said that between 2010 and 2017, they filed false claims with the Office of Worker Compensation Programs (OWCP) for patients that Hunt sent to the clinic. Hunt, an injured former employee of the US Postal Service, had filed his own injury claim with the OWCP.
Prosecutors said that the Dass Siblings conspired with Hunt for him to send injured federal workers to the siblings’ clinic for medical treatment. The Dasses allegedly paid Hunt a fee for each claim OWCP paid. Hunt also allegedly charged the injured workers a fee for his services.
Anna Dass, who acted as the manager of clinical operations at A&A, allegedly filed claims for services that weren’t performed, or were billed at a higher rate than services actually performed. Between 2010 and 2017, A&A billed OWCP for more than $9.1 million, according to the US Attorney’s Office. OWCP allegedly paid $7.2 million of those claims.
If convicted of the conspiracy or kickback charges, the Dass siblings and Hunt each face up to five years in prison. A wire fraud conviction could carry as much as 20 years, and a money-laundering conviction could carry up to 10 years. Each charge also carries a fine of up to $250,000.
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Insurance agent charged for his own workers’ comp fraud
