HARRISBURG, Pa. — A Harrisburg woman and her Lancaster brother-in-law have been charged with four felony counts of Medicaid fraud and one felony count of theft by deception after allegedly submitting fraudulent timesheets to Medical Assistance for more than $95,000.
Zhanna Sainz, 57, and Mikhail Bagdasarian, 72, had been submitting these timesheets for 24-hour attendant care services for Sainz's mother, but the Office of the Attorney General discovered that this woman was in fact, not being properly cared for despite being a fall risk.
Of the 223 days of surveillance, neither Bagdasarian nor Sainz were at the home for six or more hours per day for 110 of those days. Bagdasarian was not even at her home for 200 of these days. It is thought that this could have began as early as 2016.
Attorney General Josh Shapiro provided the following comment via press release:
"Zhanna Sainz and Mikhail Bagdasarian not only tried to make a profit from a program for senior Pennsylvanians, they also neglected Sainz’s elderly mother who needed their care and support," Shapiro said. "Medicaid provides essential funding so families can care for their loved ones — it is not a source of profit for bad actors. My office is committed to continuing to protect senior citizens and shut down fraud, wherever it is found."
The Office of Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud section has made 560 arrests since AG Shapiro took office. They have also obtained more than $16 million in court ordered restitution for the state.
