Investigative Reports

We did not substantiate the allegation that the WV Department of Environmental Protection showed preferential treatment to the West Virginia Governor.

Mark Hernandez, a psychiatrist based in Miami, Florida, Brian Dublynn, Vice President of Safe Haven Recovery Inc, and medical marketer, Jennifer Sanford, pleaded guilty in United States District Court for the Southern District of Florida on August 17, 2021, to conspiracy charges related to a health care fraud investigation. The defendants conspired to defraud private health companies by causing Safe Haven, a substance abuse treatment facility in Miami, along with several clinical laboratories, to submit false and fraudulent claims to health insurance plans for addiction treatment services that were not provided as billed and laboratory tests that were not medically necessary. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $86,130. The three defendants will be sentenced at a future date.

The OIG investigated allegations that a Bureau of Reclamation (BOR) employee misused a U.S. Government purchase card. Specifically, the complaint alleged that the employee deliberately overbought supplies for a BOR office and gave the excess items to a family member for personal use or sale.We did not substantiate the allegations. We concluded that all the purchases were properly authorized and were consistent with supply requirements at the facility. We also concluded the employee did not improperly dispose of any office supplies.This is a summary of an investigative report we issued to the BOR Commissioner.

We investigated a complaint of whistleblower reprisal by a former employee of a non-profit organization affiliated with the BIA.

An Amtrak trackman/flagman based in Chicago, Illinois, resigned from employment on August 5, 2021, prior to his administrative hearing. Our investigation found that the former employee violated company policies by driving and operating company-owned vehicles without a valid driver’s license on a routine basis. We further determined that he was arrested and convicted on two occasions for operating a vehicle while intoxicated and did not report the incidents to the company as policy required.

We found that NPS employees did not follow compliance and protection requirements for archeological resources in Virgin Islands National Park.

John Pangelinan, a medical marketer based in Los Angeles was sentenced on August 2, 2021, to time served and two years’ probation for conspiracy to commit honest services mail fraud and health care fraud. Pangelinan brokered kickbacks and bribe payments to doctors in exchange for their referrals of compounded medications, durable medical equipment, and other health care goods to certain providers.Our investigation found that Pharmacy Acquisition LLC provided medically unnecessary compounded drug prescriptions to Precise Compounding Pharmacy that were reimbursed by health care benefit programs, including Amtrak’s plan. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $22,000.

Allegations of Bias Against FEC Personnel Reviewing 58Th Presidential Inaugural Committee Reports

We investigated whether a BIA employee improperly received gifts, influenced a nonprofit’s operations, and awarded funds to a university.

Allan Lummer, Farshad Sassounian, Sidney Cobos and Ashkan Kohanpour, medical marketers based in Los Angeles, were sentenced in United States District Court, Central District of California, in July 2021 for aiding and assisting in the preparation of a false tax return. Sassounian, Cobos, and Kohanpour were each sentenced to six months in prison and ordered to pay $24,147.50 in restitution. Lummer was sentenced to two years’ probation for his role in the scheme.Our investigation found that the four defendants aided in the preparation and presentation of a false tax return to the Internal Revenue Service for Pharmacy Acquisition LLC. The defendants knew the tax return falsely claimed a deduction for expenses that were actually distributions made to them, as owners of the pharmacy. Further, our investigation found that Pharmacy Acquisition LLC provided medically unnecessary compounded drug prescriptions to Precise Compounding Pharmacy that were reimbursed by health care benefit programs, including Amtrak’s plan. As a result of the scheme, Amtrak’s insurance providers were fraudulently charged approximately $22,000.