Behavioral healthcare company executive pleads guilty to healthcare fraud

Date: Sept. 26, 2024

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BOSTON - The chief executive officer of Dana Group Associates, who is also the former chief operating officer of Prime Behavioral Health, pleaded guilty today to a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs by directing false billing for patient visits.

Miguel Saravia, of Hanson, pleaded guilty to six counts of health care fraud. U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs scheduled sentencing for Jan. 2, 2025.

From approximately 2017 to 2022, Saravia directed a group of individuals with no billing or medical training to enter Current Procedural Terminology codes (CPT) for therapy services that were not provided and to up code CPT codes used for psychotherapy visits. Saravia submitted, or directed the submission of, false claims for treatment that was not provided or for more complex and expensive treatment than was provided.

The charge of health care fraud carries a sentence of up to 10 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense. Sentences are imposed by a federal district court judge based upon the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and statutes which govern the determination of a sentence in a criminal case.

Acting U.S. Attorney Joshua S. Levy; Harry Chavis, Jr., Special Agent in Charge of the IRS Criminal Investigation (IRS-CI) Boston Field Office; Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General; Jodi Cohen, Special Agent in Charge of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Boston Division; and Insurance Fraud Bureau Executive Director Anthony DiPaolo made the announcement today. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Kelly B. Lawrence and Mackenzie A. Queenin of the Health Care Fraud Unit and Lindsey Ross and Steven Sharobem of the Affirmative Civil Enforcement Unit are prosecuting the case.

IRS-CI is the criminal investigative arm of the IRS, responsible for conducting financial crime investigations, including tax fraud, narcotics trafficking, money-laundering, public corruption, healthcare fraud, identity theft and more. IRS-CI special agents are the only federal law enforcement agents with investigative jurisdiction over violations of the Internal Revenue Code, obtaining a more than a 90 percent federal conviction rate. The agency has 20 field offices located across the U.S. and 12 attaché posts abroad.