Kittanning Man Indicted on Health Care Fraud Charges

PITTSBURGH - A resident of Armstrong County, Pennsylvania, has been indicted by a federal grand jury in Pittsburgh on charges of health care fraud, United States Attorney David J. Hickton announced today.

The two-count indictment, returned on May 17, named Samirkumar J. Shah, 53 of Kittanning, PA, as a defendant.

According to the information presented to the court, Shah knowingly and willfully executed and attempted to execute a scheme to defraud health care benefit programs, such as, Medicare, Medicaid, Highmark, UPMC and Gateway, in connection with the delivery of and payment for health care benefits, items and services.

The law provides for a maximum total sentence of 10 years in prison, a fine of $250,000 or both. Under the Federal Sentencing Guidelines, the actual sentence imposed would be based upon the seriousness of the offenses and the prior criminal history, if any, of the defendant.

Assistant United States Attorney Nelson P. Cohen is prosecuting this case on behalf of the government.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Pennsylvania Office of the Attorney General conducted the investigation leading to the indictment in this case.

An indictment is an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.