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Oleg Beretsky, 67, was indicted on health care fraud, money laundering, and related charges in Brooklyn federal court on Tuesday, March 18.
It followed accusations he used his former Plainview company, Obest Inc., to funnel senior citizens to certain doctors in exchange for bribes. Many of the alleged victims were immigrants from the former Soviet Union.
Beretsky, now a resident of Naples, Florida, pocketed kickbacks from medical providers who paid to gain access to vulnerable patients, according to the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District. He allegedly encouraged them to bill Medicare for unnecessary treatments or services that were never provided.
The scheme, which ran from 2017 to 2024, resulted in over $22 million in fraudulent claims, prosecutors said. Of that, Medicare paid more than $12.4 million in claims, which was reportedly distributed to Beretsky and his co-conspirators.
To conceal the illegal profits, Beretsky funneled money through his relatives and multiple bank accounts, prosecutors alleged.
Beretsky was arrested Tuesday morning in Florida. He also faces charges of violating the federal Anti-Kickback Statute. If convicted, he could face up to 20 years in prison.
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