2 charged with fraud in GET-THIN Lap-Band surgery business
LOS ANGELES (AP) — A 37-count federal indictment charges two Southern California doctors with fraudulently billing health insurers for millions of dollars for procedures related to the 1-800-GET-THIN Lap-Band surgery business, the U.S. Attorney's Office said.
Julian Omidi, 49, of West Hollywood and Mirali Zarrabi, 55, of Beverly Hills, were arrested Wednesday and both pleaded not guilty to the charges in U.S. District Court.
The indictment alleges a scheme that involved requiring prospective patients to undergo sleep studies that were falsified to show an additional "co-morbidity" reason such as sleep apnea to gain approval for elective weight-loss surgeries.