Huntington Park : 5 to Be Tried on Charges of Filing False Medi-Cal Bills

A Huntington Park doctor, his wife and three former employees have been bound over for trial in Superior Court on numerous felony and misdemeanor charges of false Medi-Cal billing and practicing medicine without a license, a prosecutor said.

Dr. Suresh Gandotra, 40; Rita Gandotra, 38; Carlos Cuellar, 34; Ricardo Santos, 36; and Shirley Riles, 41; are to be arraigned May 19 in Southeast Superior Court in Norwalk, Deputy Atty. Gen. Richard Rojo said.

Southeast Municipal Court Commissioner Sanford A. Warner ordered the five bound over on 21 felony counts and five misdemeanor counts, Rojo said.

Gandotra, who owns the Coast Urgent Care Medical Clinic, faces charges of filing false medical claims and aiding and abetting the unlawful practice of medicine, among other violations. If convicted on all counts, Gandotra could face a maximum sentence of six years in jail.

Gandotra and his wife are free on $30,000 bail; Cuellar and Riles are free on $10,000 bail, and Santos is free on $15,000 bail.

Investigators suspect that Gandotra may have defrauded Medi-Cal out of as much as $10,000 by billing for medical services provided by unlicensed employees and for services never rendered, officials said.

The five defendants have maintained their innocence. The medical clinic is still in business, Rojo said.