California man, woman bought gold bars to launder money in $54 million Medicare fraud: Feds

A Southern California man and woman are accused of defrauding Medicare out of more than $54 million by submitting phony claims for hospice and diagnostic testing services, and laundering the illegal funds by buying millions of dollars worth of gold coins and bars, federal authorities said.

Sophia Shaklian, 36, of Los Angeles, and Alex Alexsanian, 47, of Burbank, were arrested on Wednesday on a 24-count federal grand jury indictment, according to a Justice Department news release. Shaklian is charged with 16 counts of healthcare fraud and four counts of transactional money laundering, while Alexsanian is facing one count of conspiracy to launder monetary instruments and three counts of concealment money laundering, federal prosecutors said.

From March 2019 to August 2024, Shaklian used aliases to submit fraudulent claims for seven healthcare providers enrolled with Medicare in Los Angeles County, the U.S. Attorney's Office said. A hospice company Shaklian owned called Chateau d’Lumina Hospice and Palliative Care and several diagnostic testing companies, including Saint Gorge Radiology and Hope Diagnostics, allegedly submitted the $54 million in bogus claims to Medicare for services that were never provided or needed, according to the release.

Court records show that neither Shaklian nor Alexsanian have legal representation.

How did Shaklian and Alexsanian allegedly launder illegal funds?

Shaklian and Alexsanian received more than $23 million in total for the claims, federal prosecutors said. Shaklian is also accused of laundering the Medicare funds paid to her hospice company by transferring them to accounts under the fake name "Varsenic Babaian," according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

Alexsanian allegedly instructed a foreign national to open Saint Gorge Radiology in Sylmar, California, and to acquire Medicare provider Console Hospice, the Justice Department said. Once acquired, Alexsanian took control of the companies, their bank accounts and the foreign national's personal bank accounts, according to federal prosecutors.

Alexsanian also conspired with the foreign national, who has since left the country, and others to have Saint Gorge Radiology and Console Hospice submit phony claims to Medicare for services that were not provided, according to the release. The two bought more than $6 million in gold bars and coins to launder the Medicare reimbursements and funds deposited into their accounts via the "Babaian" identity, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.

If convicted, Shaklian will face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years for each healthcare fraud count and up to 20 years for each money laundering count. Alexsanian could spend up to 20 years in federal prison for each count if found guilty.