TUSTIN, Calif. (Diya TV) — The founder and former CEO of Sovereign Health Group, once a prominent addiction treatment provider across Southern California, was arrested last week on charges of orchestrating a sweeping, multi-million dollar health care fraud and kickback scheme, according to federal prosecutors.
Tonmoy Sharma, 61, of Tustin, was taken into custody on May 29 at Los Angeles International Airport upon returning to the United States. He is named in an eight-count federal grand jury indictment that alleges he oversaw the submission of more than $149 million in fraudulent claims to private health insurers and paid over $21 million in illegal kickbacks to patient brokers.
The indictment, unsealed by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California, charges Sharma with four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of illegal remunerations for patient referrals. If convicted, he faces up to 20 years in federal prison for each wire fraud count, five years for conspiracy, and 10 years for each illegal remuneration count…