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Date: 11-16-2022

Case Style:

United States of America v. Shahriar “Michael” Kalantari

Case Number: 2:18-cr-00375

Judge: Andre Birotte, Jr.

Court: United States District Court for the Central District of California (Los Angeles County)

Plaintiff's Attorney: United States Attorney’s Office

Defendant's Attorney:




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Description: Los Angeles, California criminal law lawyer represented Defendant charged with health care fraud and prescription drug diversion scheme involving two Southern California pharmacies.

hahriar “Michael” Kalantari, 55, of Beverly Hills, generated false prescriptions as part of a health care fraud and unlicensed wholesale distribution scheme occurring in 2016 and 2017. Kalantari’s co-conspirators obtained beneficiary information, which Kalantari then used to write or cause to be written false and fraudulent prescriptions for expensive prescription medication, including drugs used to treat HIV. Kalantari’s co-conspirator then submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid of California through her two pharmacies for the drugs, which were never dispensed to the beneficiaries but, rather, provided to co-conspirators to sell on the black market.

Kalantari was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, and conspiracy to engage in the unlicensed wholesale distribution of prescription drugs. He is scheduled to be sentenced on Feb. 24, 2023 and faces a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison for each of the health care fraud conspiracy and health care fraud counts, and a maximum penalty of five years for the unlicensed distribution counts. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite, Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Martin Estrada for the Central District of California, Assistant Director in Charge Donald Alway of the FBI Los Angeles Field Office, and Special Agent in Charge Timothy B. DeFrancesca of the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated the case, which was brought as part of the Los Angeles Strike Force, supervised by the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The California Department of Justice provided valuable assistance.

Assistant Chief Alexis Gregorian and Trial Attorneys Justin Givens and Alex Michael of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

18:1349: Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud
(1)
18:1347: Health Care Fraud; 18:2(b): Causing an Act to be Done
(2-4)
18:371: Conspiracy to Engage in the Unlicensed Wholesale Distribution of Prescription Drugs
(5)

Outcome: A federal jury found Defendant guilty.

Plaintiff's Experts:

Defendant's Experts:

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