| For Immediate Release Case # 08ZF0025 November 26, 2012 |
Susan Kang Schroeder Chief of Staff Office: 714-347-8408 Cell: 714-292-2718 Farrah Emami
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ATTORNEY, ACCOUNTANT, AND TWO ADMINISTRATORS CONVICTED OF REVENUE
AND TAX CHARGES IN $154 MILLION MEDICAL INSURANCE FRAUD SCHEME
* Additional felony fraud counts for the defendants will be tried at a later date
SANTA ANA – An attorney, accountant, and two administrators were convicted today of revenue and tax fraud for their roles in the largest medical fraud prosecution in the nation for recruiting over 255 healthy patients to undergo unnecessary and dangerous surgeries to fraudulently bill medical insurance companies. This trial involved the failure to file tax returns and under-reporting income to state tax authorities. The court bifurcated the case due to its size and volume and additional fraud charges remain pending and another trial date will be set for those counts. The defendants are scheduled to be sentenced Dec. 20, 2012, in Department C-41, Central Justice Center, Santa Ana.
Roy Chester Dickson, 64, Yorba Linda, Unity’s attorney, was found guilty by a jury of two felony counts of filing a false personal tax return and faces a maximum sentence of three years and eight months in state prison for these counts. Dickson faces 101 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of money laundering, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million on the fraud counts. These counts will be tried at a later date.
Andrew Robert Harnen, 58, Rosemead, Unity’s accountant, was found guilty by a jury of three felony counts of filing a false tax return and six counts of failing to file tax returns. He faces a maximum sentence of eight years and four months in state prison for these counts. Harnen faces 101 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of filing a false tax return, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million on the fraud counts. These counts will be tried at a later date.
Dee Francis, 63, a Unity administrator, was found guilty by a jury of one felony count of filing a false tax return and six counts of failing to file tax returns. He faces a maximum sentence of seven years in state prison for these counts. Francis faces 102 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of filing a false tax return, two counts of failing to file tax returns, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million on the fraud counts. These counts will be tried at a later date.
Rosalinda Rodriguez Landon, 66, a Unity administrator, was found guilty by a jury of six felony counts of filing false tax returns and faces a maximum sentence of six years and four months in state prison for these counts. Landon faces 101 additional felony counts which include two counts of conspiracy, eight counts of capping or paying for referrals, 30 counts of grand theft, 30 counts of insurance fraud, 30 counts of making false and fraudulent claims, one count of money laundering, and white collar sentencing enhancements for taking over $2.5 million dollars. These counts will be tried at a later date.