A doctor in Orange County, California, has been charged by federal prosecutors for orchestrating approximately $230 million worth of fraud during the COVID-19 pandemic.
They said the charges are part of a coordinated nationwide effort of law enforcement to fight COVID-19 health care fraud.
Dinh allegedly billed the government through the HRSA Uninsured Program with uninsured claims for patients who actually either had insurance, were never treated, or had treatments that weren’t medically necessary, according to the DOJ.
The HRSA Uninsured Program was intended to provide reimbursement to medical providers who treated uninsured patients for certain COVID-19-related treatments during the pandemic.
Authorities say Dinh was the second highest biller to the program in the country. He allegedly used over $100 million of the money for high-risk options trading.
Dinh also allegedly worked with Hanna Dinh, also of Orange County, and Dr. Matthew Ho of Brevard County, Florida, to submit more than 70 fraudulent loan applications, obtaining over $3 million from the PPP and Economic Injury Disaster Loan programs, according to the Justice Department.
Dinh is scheduled for arraignment on May 22 in federal court in Santa Ana. If convicted on all charges, he could face up to 50 years in prison, according to federal prosecutors.
