An Orlando-based clinical laboratory is among those implicated in a nationwide $1.14 million settlement over violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Jersey announced. The settlement resolves allegations of illegal kickback schemes involving laboratory marketers, healthcare providers, and associated entities across several states, including Florida.
Marketer Shahram Naghshbandi, based in Fort Worth, Texas, agreed to pay $400,000 and has been excluded from federal healthcare programs for ten years. According to federal prosecutors, Naghshbandi and his marketing company allegedly paid healthcare providers kickbacks disguised as investment distributions to induce referrals to three laboratories, including one in Orlando, Florida. These laboratories, in turn, reportedly paid commissions to Naghshbandi’s company based on Medicare reimbursements tied to the referrals.
The Anti-Kickback Statute prohibits offering or accepting financial incentives in exchange for referrals for services covered by federally funded programs such as Medicare and Medicaid. Violations can undermine medical decision-making and lead to fraudulent claims.