4 Accused of Defrauding State Medi-Cal Program

Four people suspected of bilking California’s Medi-Cal program of more than $500,000 have been arrested and charged with felonies, state Atty. Gen. Bill Lockyer said Monday.

The four suspects, and a fifth still being sought, owned and operated two medical laboratories in Los Angeles.

Prosecutors say they submitted fraudulent claims for reimbursement for blood tests, using physician names and Medi-Cal provider numbers without authorization.

Medi-Cal is California’s health program for the poor.

Benjamin Lopez, 50; Myrna Lopez, 49; and Eduardo Saludo, 38, all of Los Angeles; and Tirso Jamora, 49, of Placentia were arrested and charged in Sacramento County Superior Court on Friday.

Linda Dizon, 47, of Los Angeles is being sought on a felony warrant

Prosecutors say the defendants operated the New Era Medical Laboratory for eight months, then shut it down and continued operations for seven months at California Lab Access.

They are accused of identity theft and of defrauding Medi-Cal.

The charges bring to 35 the number of felony cases involving medical laboratories that the attorney general’s office has brought in the last 16 months. The cases have resulted in 13 convictions to date.

Two other medical laboratory operators were convicted recently in a separate case involving five facilities in Los Angeles and Orange counties, Lockyer said.

Lourdes Navarro, 41, of Glendale and Imran Shams, 41, of New York City were convicted of crimes committed at Hospital Circle Medical Laboratory in Huntington Beach, California Automated Laboratory and Delps Clinical Labs in Burbank, Clintox Laboratories in the Tarzana section of Los Angeles and Physicians Quality Laboratory in Whittier.

The two were convicted on felony counts of Medi-Cal fraud, grand theft, money laundering and identity theft.

Navarro pleaded guilty and was sentenced to five years in prison and ordered to pay $200,000 in restitution. Shams pleaded guilty and awaits sentencing. A third suspect, Zubair Younis, 42, of New York City remains at large with a felony warrant out for his arrest.