Social Worker Indicted for Health Care Fraud
| U.S. Attorney’s Office January 22, 2013 |
BUFFALO, NY—U.S. Attorney William J. Hochul, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury in Buffalo has returned a five-count indictment charging Nina Jafari, a licensed clinical social worker, 62, of Amherst, New York, with health care fraud. The charge carries a maximum penalty of 10 years years in prison, a fine of $250,000, or both.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, the defendant defrauded Blue Cross Blue Shield of Western New York. The scheme involved Jafari submitting reimbursement claim forms to Blue Cross Blue Shield for services that were not rendered. The amount totaled approximately $125,000.
The indictment is the culmination of an investigation on the part of special agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent in Charge Christopher M. Piehota.
The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation, and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.