The FBI is asking for tips about a fugitive with ties to Delray Beach who is wanted in a $547 million Medicare fraud case involving genetic cancer testing.
Khalid Ahmed Satary was added to the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list, according to WFLX. The FBI and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General are offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
Federal authorities say Satary owned and operated diagnostic testing laboratories between 2016 and 2019 that billed Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary genetic tests. The FBI says he has ties to Delray Beach, Houston, Atlanta, Dubai, Jordan, and the Israel/Palestine areas.
Satary was indicted in the Eastern District of Louisiana in 2019. He is wanted on a federal pre-trial release violation warrant issued after authorities said he violated the terms of his bond. The charges are accusations and have not been proven in court.
FBI Says the Labs Billed Medicare for Genetic Cancer Tests
The FBI says Satary’s laboratories billed Medicare for more than $547 million through genetic testing claims. Authorities said the tests were generated through patient recruiters, telemarketing call centers, and telemedicine companies.
The testing involved cancer genetic tests that reimbursed between $10,000 and $20,000 per sample, according to the FBI. Satary is also accused of paying millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks and bribes to doctors and patient recruiters.
Fox 8 New Orleans reported that prosecutors identified several labs tied to Satary, including Performance Laboratories in Oklahoma, Lazarus Services in Louisiana, and Clio Labs in Georgia.
Satary Was Indicted in Louisiana in 2019
Satary was indicted on Sept. 26, 2019, in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Louisiana. The charges included conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive illegal health care kickbacks and bribes, and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments.
After the indictment, Satary was released on bond with conditions that barred him from working in the health care field, according to local reports citing federal authorities.
Fox 8 New Orleans reported that Satary has been a federal fugitive since December 2022.
FBI Says He Kept Working With Labs While on Bond
WFLX reported that while Satary was released on bond, authorities said he worked with Houston-based laboratories in Texas to keep submitting fraudulent genetic testing claims to Medicare.
A federal arrest warrant was issued on Nov. 23, 2022, after authorities accused Satary of violating the terms of his pre-trial release.
The FBI says anyone with information about Satary should call 1-800-CALL-FBI or submit a tip at tips.fbi.gov.
Medicare Genetic Testing Schemes Often Start With Marketing Calls
Medicare beneficiaries should be cautious if someone calls offering free genetic testing, cancer screening, cheek-swab kits, or DNA testing that was not ordered by their own doctor.
The Office of Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has warned that genetic testing schemes can involve recruiters, telemarketers, health fairs, and unnecessary tests billed to Medicare. Beneficiaries may be asked for Medicare numbers or other personal information before a test is ordered.
People should not give a Medicare number to a caller, recruiter, or testing company they do not know. If a test appears on a Medicare statement and the patient’s own doctor did not order it, the charge should be reported to Medicare or the HHS Office of Inspector General.