50°
Brothers Bhaskar and Arun Savani are charged with building a "complex criminal enterprise that amassed millions of dollars through multiple fraud schemes," the Justice Department said in a
A multi-year investigation into the brothers' vast and labyrinthine business portfolio revealed a well-oiled criminal machine, prosecutors say.
According to the indictment, the Savanis made upwards of $80 million through a phony Medicaid billing scheme. The ill-gotten cash, investigators say, was laundered through a "complex web of financial transactions" using multiple accounts at a number of area banks.
To maximize their bottom line, authorities believe the Savanis made up bogus business expenses and failed to report various transactions to lessen their tax burden. Through a murky combination of wire fraud and lying-by-omission, feds say the pair dodged up to $2 million in payroll taxes.
Also charged in the indictment are Montgomery County residents Niranjan Savani, 51, Amen Dhyllon, 45, Alesksandra Radomiak, 44, Bucks County resident Sunil Phillip, 56, and 26-year-old Susan Malpartida of Passaic County, NJ.
On the back end, investigators say the Savanis filed false H-1B work visa applications with immigration officials to "exploit a workforce comprised of foreign nationals," mostly from India. Once the workers arrived, the Savanis would force them to pay kickbacks and fees out of their own wages, federal authorities believe.
Most bizarrely, the dentists are accused of putting prototypal implants that had not been approved for human use by federal regulators in the mouths of patients. The companies involved in that scheme, per the indictment, include AAA Signature Smile PC and OsseoLink USA, both of which are listed at the same Fort Washington address linked with multiple Savani ventures.
“This complex, multi-year investigation is an example of federal law enforcement at its best,” Romero said. "Through the unyielding work of all our law enforcement partners we were able to bring these charges and now will seek to hold persons accountable for these crimes.”
If convicted, Bhaskar and Arun Savani could be sentenced to more than 400 years in prison and more than $10 million in fines, prosecutors noted.
Click here to follow Daily Voice Northampton and receive free news updates.
