Another OC COVID Contractor Accused of Fraud Scheme in Whistleblower Lawsuit; SLO County Couple Used COVID-19 Aid for a Condo in Hawaii. Now They’re Going to Prison, and other C-Virus related stories
Another OC COVID contractor accused of fraud scheme in whistleblower lawsuit :
A fledgling COVID-testing company that was hired by Orange County for $5 million is now accused in a lawsuit of scheming to illegally solicit kickbacks from doctors and defraud federal health programs.
The whistleblower suit alleges that 360 Health Plan, the company hired in 2020 by the county to conduct drive-through COVID testing at so-called super sites, double-billed government agencies for the tests and plotted to get kickbacks from physicians for referrals. The company did business as 360 Clinic.
The Superior Court suit by former employee Laura Garcia also accuses 360 Clinic officials of conspiring to send patients to medical services either owned by the firm or by relatives of company officials, a violation of federal and state regulations against physician self-referrals.
Eliot Krieger, the attorney for 360 Clinic, denied the firm was involved in any wrongdoing and described Garcia as an “at-will employee for approximately one month.”
“The conclusory statements and allegations (in the lawsuit) are unsubstantiated and lack evidentiary foundation,” Krieger said in a written statement. “We stand by the integrity of our operations and remain committed to cooperating fully with relevant authorities.”
Garcia’s attorney, Brandon Gonzalez, responded: “While I appreciate the defense’s attempt to minimize my client’s role with 360 Clinic, they simply cannot escape the fundamental truth of what she saw and was asked to do by 360’s executives, which, as alleged, were brazen violations of both federal and state laws relating to billing practices and kickbacks.” —>READ MORE HERE
SLO County couple used COVID-19 aid for a condo in Hawaii. Now they’re going to prison:
An Arroyo Grande couple was sentenced to more than two years in federal prison Thursday for defrauding the federal government of more than $1.3 million of COVID-19 relief funds to help purchase a condo in Hawaii and at least three luxury vehicles, court documents show.
Husband and wife Christopher and Erin Mazzei were sentenced to 36 months and 27 months, respectively, in federal prison on Thursday after both pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering, court documents show.
“The Mazzeis perpetrated a gross fraud to obtain critical resources intended for members of our community experiencing devastating hardships as a result of the pandemic,” U.S. Attorney Clare E. Connors said in a U.S. Department of Justice news release.
In April 2020, the two submitted applications for Paycheck Protection Program funds to the Bank of Hawaii and two other banks in Pennsylvania and Maine in order to support their purported businesses, Better Half Entertainment LLC, Better Half Productions Inc., which are both film and television production business, and Gusto on the Go LLC, a catering business, court documents said.
Loans through the Paycheck Protection Program, or PPP, were meant to help small businesses pay their employees during the pandemic shutdown and ensuing economic fallout.
The Mazzeis admitted to using interstate wires to apply — and get approved for — PPP loans using false IRS tax returns and payroll records they created, according to court documents. —>READ MORE HERE
Follow links below to relevant/related stories and resources:
COVID Map Update Reveals 20 US States With ‘Very High’ Virus Activity
Where to get at-home COVID tests in 2025, plus how to use them and latest symptoms
USA TODAY: Coronavirus Updates
YAHOO NEWS: Coronavirus Live Updates
NEW YORK POST: Coronavirus The Latest
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