Latest news with #SovereignHealthGroup
India Today
a day ago
- Business
- India Today
Assam-born doctor arrested in US over $150-million scam has troubled history
Tonmoy Sharma, a 61-year-old doctor originally from Bamunimaidam in Guwahati, Assam, has been arrested in the US for allegedly orchestrating a $149-million healthcare fraud, one of the largest cases of its kind. He was taken into custody at the Los Angeles International Airport while allegedly preparing to move to Dubai. Sharma is the founder and former CEO of Sovereign Health Group. Sharma, according to reports, had a troubled past even before he moved to the initially gained recognition in the UK for his pharmaceutical trials, but his medical licence was revoked after concerns were raised about the credibility of his research. Following this, he moved to the US and continued his work Health Group, once a major network of addiction treatment centres across Southern California, has been under investigation by the FBI since 2017. In 2018, federal agents raided the group's San Clemente headquarters, several treatment facilities, and Sharma's residence in San Juan Capistrano, according to NBC Los Sovereign shut down that same year, Sharma quietly continued operating a treatment centre called Dana Shores Recovery under a different name and to the federal indictment, Sharma submitted over $149 million in fraudulent insurance claims and accepted more than $21 million in illegal kickbacks for patient now faces four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of receiving illegal convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison for each wire fraud charge, five years for conspiracy, and 10 years per illegal kickback SHARMA'S CLINICAL TRIALS CAME UNDER CLOUD IN UKIn the 1990s, he gained prominence in the UK for conducting clinical trials for major pharmaceutical companies. However, his reputation quickly began to unravel. In 2001, concerns were raised by Catherine Baxter, a medical adviser at Sanofi, regarding financial irregularities in a 250,000-pound drug study comparing Sanofi's Amisulpride to a rival product from Eli Lilly, according to The prompted Sanofi to hire private investigators, including former Metropolitan Police detective Peter Jay, to probe Sharma's research responded by filing a defamation lawsuit, which he later withdrew, citing financial 2007, after multiple ethics violations and alleged misconduct, the UK's General Medical Council stripped Sharma of his medical licence, the report was found guilty of fabricating ethics approvals, recruiting vulnerable patients by phone without caregiver's consent, and offering financial incentives to study also falsely claimed academic titles, including a professorship and a doctorate, and was accused of threatening patients who attempted to leave his studies, the Guardian report evade legal fallout in the UK, Sharma relocated to the US, according to media TONMOY SHARMA WAS ARRESTED IN THE USIn the US, Tonmoy Sharma created an elaborate scheme through Sovereign Health to exploit the healthcare system. The scam relied heavily on aggressive patient recruitment and insurance centres operated by Sovereign falsely assured patients that their treatment would be covered by a fake charitable foundation. This ruse enabled staff to gather personal information like birth dates and Social Security numbers, which were then used to secretly enrol patients into private insurance plans — often without their knowledge or make these enrollments possible, Sovereign staff fabricated life events and manipulated income data, allowing patients to qualify for heavily subsidised private plans offered higher reimbursements than government-backed Medicaid, making them more profitable for the company. In some cases, Sovereign employees even impersonated patients during phone calls with team also ran a parallel scam involving excessive and expensive drug testing. Patients were subjected to both rapid tests and comprehensive panel tests, often unnecessarily and at inflated tests were billed through Sovereign's in-house lab, Vedanta Laboratories Inc., maximising profits. Insurers were billed for services long after physicians had stopped working with the ensure a steady flow of patients, Sharma and his associate paid illegal kickbacks to brokers disguised as 'marketing fees'. These brokers were given contracts that falsely described their work, but in reality, they were being paid to refer patients — an arrangement that resulted in over $21 million in illegal SHARMA PLANNED TO FLEE TO DUBAIDespite shutting down Sovereign Health in 2018, Sharma continued to operate in the shadows, staying one step ahead of law enforcement. But with mounting legal pressure and ongoing federal investigations, Sharma began preparing to leave the US for Dubai. Before he could flee, he was intercepted and arrested by federal agents at arrest closes a long chapter of fraud, deception, and abuse of the healthcare system. From one corner of the world, Sharma travelled to the UK and then across the Atlantic to the US, where he was arrested for years of fraud that allegedly stripped health insurers of millions of dollars. advertisement
Time of India
a day ago
- Business
- Time of India
Who is Tonmoy Sharma? The Indian-origin psychiatrist at the center of a $149-million US healthcare fraud
Tonmoy Sharma, a psychiatrist and entrepreneur of Indian origin, has found himself at the center of a massive healthcare fraud case in the United States. On May 29, Sharma was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport following an eight-count federal grand jury indictment that accuses him of submitting over $149 million in fraudulent insurance claims and paying more than $21 million in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to the U.S. Attorney's Office, Sharma's now-defunct company, Sovereign Health Group, enrolled patients in insurance plans without their consent, billed for unauthorized lab tests, and misrepresented financial information to exploit high out-of-network insurance rates. 'The founder and former CEO…was arrested…alleging he submitted more than $149 million in fraudulent claims…and paid more than $21 million in illegal kickbacks,' the federal statement said. Who is Tonmoy Sharma? Tonmoy Sharma was born in Guwahati, Assam, and is the eldest son of the late Phani Sharma, a well-known sports organiser and owner of several cultural landmarks in Assam, including the Anuradha, Rupayan, and Anupama cinema halls. Raised in an intellectually vibrant and affluent household, Sharma's path was marked by academic success and early medical ambition. He earned his MBBS degree from Dibrugarh Medical College in 1987 and interned at Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi. He soon took his expertise abroad, obtaining a medical license from the General Medical Council in the United Kingdom in 1988. Sharma went on to specialize in psychiatry and made his mark in research, particularly in the areas of brain function, cognition, and behavioral studies in mental illnesses. However, several reports also suggest that his medical license was revoked in the UK in 2008 for dishonest and unprofessional conduct. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now His work brought him to the United States, where he became a naturalized citizen and eventually founded Sovereign Health Group—a company that, for a time, was considered a pioneer in dual-diagnosis addiction treatment. In addition to his clinical work, Sharma is also an author. His books, listed on Amazon, cover Schizophrenia and mental health in detail. He has also authored over 200 peer-reviewed articles. Regarding his wife and family, there is no publicly available information about Tonmoy Sharma's marital status, wife, or immediate family members, such as children or siblings, beyond his late father.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Business
- Time of India
Indian-origin pharma tycoon Tonmoy Sharma arrested in Los Angeles over $149 million healthcare fraud
Indian-origin pharma tycoon Tonmoy Sharma arrested in California. Indian-origin doctor and businessman, the founder and former CEO of the now-defunct Sovereign Health Group, was recently arrested over $149 million medical fraud. The 61-year-old psychiatrist has been charged with four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy and three counts of illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities. What was the medical fraud? What was Sharma's modus operandi? Tonmoy Sharma's Sovereign Health Group was a prominent addiction treatment provider throughout Southern California and several other states. According to court documents, the company billed private insurance companies for drug addicted and mentally ill patients at extremely high rates between 2014 and 2020. Sovereign used to pursue patients aggressively through various forms of marketing forcing them to get admitted to the company's treatment facilities. The patients were told that their treatment would be paid by a foundation funded by the donations from former SDpvereign patients. There was no such actual foundation and it was a ruse for Sovereign employees. They obtained patients' names, date of birth and Social Security numbers and then obtained health insurance coverage on their behalf while the patients remained in the dark. Sovereign employees sometimes pretended to be the patients when calling into these insurance companies. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Villas For Sale in Dubai Might Surprise You Dubai villas | search ads Get Deals Undo At Sharma's direction, the court documents said, the employees claimed qualifying life events that had not happened in order to obtain new insurance outside the enrollment period and inflating or underreporting their income so the patients would qualify for Affordable Care Act government-subsidized private insurance instead of Medicaid, whose reimbursement rates were significantly lower than private insurers. Sovereign also paid more than $21 million in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals to patient brokers. Originally from Assam's Dibrugarh, Sharma studied MBBS from Dibrugarh University. Sharma's medical license was once revoked while he was practicing in the UK before he established his career in California.
India.com
2 days ago
- Health
- India.com
Who is Tonmoy Sharma? CEO arrested in Rs 12440000000 crore fraud case in...
Indian-origin businessman Tonmoy Sharma has been arrested at Los Angeles International Airport for his role in a massive healthcare fraud case in the U.S., worth around Rs. 1,244 crore (USD 149 million). Sharma, 61, is the founder and former CEO of Sovereign Health Group, a now-closed organization that offered addiction recovery and mental health services. According to the U.S. Department of Justice, Sharma cheated health insurance companies by making fake claims totaling USD 149 million. He also paid about USD 21 million (roughly Rs. 175 crore) in illegal kickbacks to recruit patients for his centers. A federal grand jury has charged him with eight serious offenses including four counts of wire fraud, one conspiracy charge, and three counts related to illegal referrals. As per US Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Sovereign Health Group fraudulently enrolled patients into insurance plans without their knowledge, using deceptive tactics. The FBI began investigating the case in 2017. As part of the probe, they searched Sovereign Health's treatment centers in Southern California, its main office, and Sharma's home. The company shut down its operations in 2018. Another person involved in the case, Paul Jin Sen, has also been arrested. He has pleaded not guilty, and his trial is scheduled to begin on July 29. Who is Tonmoy Sharma? Tonmoy Sharma is originally from Guwahati, Assam. He studied medicine at Dibrugarh Medical College in 1987 and completed his internship at Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi. After that, he moved to the UK and later to the US, where he worked in the medical and research fields. He obtained his first medical licence from the Indian Medical Council in 1987, followed by a second from the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom in 1988. He is well known around the world for his research on schizophrenia and mental health issues. Over the years, he has published more than 200 research papers and has written five books. He is an internationally recognised research psychiatrist. His work focussed on brain function, cognition, and human behaviour in mental illnesses. Sharma has served on several editorial boards, been selected a peer reviewer for 14 international medical journals and served on various advisory boards governing the development of antipsychotics. Tanmay Sharma's father, Phani Sharma, was a well-known theatre artist, actor, and director in Assam. Phani Sharma is also the owner of Anuradha and the now defunct Rupayan and Anupama cinema halls.
India Today
2 days ago
- Business
- India Today
Indian-origin pharma tycoon arrested in US for healthcare fraud
A US-based, Indian-origin pharma tycoon was arrested at Los Angeles International Airport over his involvement in a $149-million healthcare fraud. Tonmoy Sharma, 61, is the founder and former CEO of Sovereign Health Group — an addiction treatment provider — and is originally from Guwahati, who studied medicine at Dibrugarh Medical College and interned at the Safdarjung Hospital in Delhi, was arrested on May 29 on an eight-count federal grand jury indictment alleging he submitted more than $149 million in fraudulent claims to health insurers. As per US Attorney's Office, Central District of California, Sovereign Health Group fraudulently enrolled patients into insurance plans without their knowledge, using deceptive company billed insurers for unauthorised urinalysis tests, generating over $29 million in fraudulent claims. In addition, Sharma paid more than $21 million in illegal kickbacks for patient referrals, according to a release from the US Justice in the case, Paul Jin Sen Khor, was also arrested and pleaded not guilty. His trial is set for July has been charged with four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of illegal remunerations for referrals to clinical treatment facilities, according to the US Attorney's Office of the Central District of investigation into Tonmoy Sharma's now-defunct Sovereign Health Group, which ran multiple addiction treatment centres in Southern California, was on since June 2017, according to a report by NBC Los FBI raided its treatment facilities, its San Clemente headquarters and Sharma's residence in San Juan Capistrano, according to the Sovereign Health Group shut down in IS TONMOY SHARMAA pioneer in schizophrenia research and treatment, Tonmoy Sharma, is an internationally recognised research psychiatrist. His work focussed on brain function, cognition, and human behaviour in mental illnesses. He is the eldest son of the late Phani Sharma, a renowned theatre actor, playwright, film actor, and director, who also owned Anuradha from a culturally rich and affluent background, Sharma established his career in the US after earning his MBBS from Dibrugarh University, Assam, in 1987. He obtained his first medical licence from the Indian Medical Council in 1987, followed by a second from the General Medical Council of the United Kingdom in his career, Sharma made significant contributions to psychiatric research. He has peer-reviewed for 15 international medical journals, served on multiple editorial boards, and participated in several advisory groups on antipsychotic medication. He has directed over 20 clinical investigations, authored more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles, and co-authored five books on schizophrenia.
