Former Healthcare COO Sentenced to Prison for Fraud, Ordered to Pay $561K
TL/DR –
Miguel Saravia, the former COO of a behavioral healthcare company, has been sentenced to three and a half months in prison, followed by a year of supervised release, and ordered to pay $561,141.89 in restitution for a scheme to defraud healthcare benefit programs. He had pled guilty to six counts of healthcare fraud in September 2024. Saravia is accused of having directed individuals with no medical billing experience to enter false Current Procedural Terminology codes for services not provided, and for submitting false claims for treatments not provided or for more complex and expensive treatments than were offered.
Miguel Saravia, Ex-COO of A Behavioral Healthcare Company, Sentenced for Healthcare Fraud
Miguel Saravia, a former high-ranking executive at a behavioral healthcare company, has been sentenced to prison for his role in a health benefits fraud scheme. The announcement was made by United States Attorney Leah Foley’s office. Saravia, 42, is a resident of Hanson.
Sentence Details for Healthcare Fraud
U.S. District Court Judge Allison D. Burroughs sentenced Saravia to serve three and a half months in prison, followed by a year of supervised release. Besides the prison term, Saravia has also been ordered to pay restitution of $561,141.89.
Guilt Admission and Charges
Saravia had previously admitted guilt for six charges of healthcare fraud. This admission took place in September 2024, according to a statement from Foley’s office.
Job Positions and Fraudulent Activities
At the time of his fraudulent activities, Saravia was the COO of Prime Behavioral Health. Currently, he is the CEO of Dana Group Associates. The fraudulent activities took place between 2017 and 2022. Saravia directed individuals lacking both medical and billing training to enter Current Procedural Terminology (CPT) codes for unprovided therapy services. He further instructed the use of these codes for psychotherapy visits.
Submission of False Claims
Saravia submitted or prompted the submission of false claims for unprovided treatments or more expensive procedures than those actually offered.
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