The founder of a string of Los Angeles-area medical clinics has agreed to pay $10 million to settle state Department of Justice allegations of submitting false claims to the Medicare and Medi-Cal programs, it was announced Thursday.
As part of the settlement with the owners of R&B Medical Group, Universal Diagnostic Laboratories, and Southern California Medical Center, Mohammad Rasekhi and his wife, Sheila Busheri, will pay a total of $10 million, with the state of California receiving $4 million and the federal government receiving $6 million, according to California Attorney General Rob Bonta.
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The agreement resolves allegations that Rasekhi and Busheri engaged in a kickback scheme and made self-referrals between 2014 and 2021.
Rasekhi was the founder and former chief medical officer of SCMC, a group of general practice clinics with locations in El Monte, Van Nuys, Pico Rivera, Woodland Hills, Pomona and Long Beach.