Two Pennsylvania brothers, Bhaskar Savani and Arun Savani, who ran a multi-state criminal enterprise involving visa fraud schemes, health care fraud and money laundering, have been convicted and face more than 400 years in prison, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) said on Monday.
U.S. authorities said the Suwani brothers submitted false H-1B visa applications and petitions to exploit foreign workers and defrauded the U.S. Medicaid program of more than $30 million.
The two criminals also engaged in money laundering through sophisticated channels through bank accounts of Suwani Group corporate entities and performed dental procedures without approval from U.S. federal health agencies.
Visa fraud, money laundering and more
The U.S. Attorney’s Office said in a statement on March 9 that the brothers Bhaskar and Allen built what U.S. prosecutors dubbed the “Savanee Group” as a “sophisticated criminal enterprise” that made millions of dollars through multiple fraud schemes.
Also read: Who are Bhaskar and Arun Savani? Indian-born brothers face up to 420 years in prison for fraud in US
Bhaskar Savani, 60, a dentist from Ambler, Pennsylvania, was found guilty of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, visa fraud, health care fraud, money laundering and conspiracy to defraud the Internal Revenue Service.
His brother, 58, was found guilty of one count of conspiracy to violate the RICO Act, one count of conspiracy to commit visa fraud, one count of visa fraud, one count of conspiracy to obstruct justice, and one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud.
“Defendant Bhaskar Salwani was a dentist by training. Defendant Arun Salwani generally controlled the finances of the Salwani Group. Through their criminal enterprise, Bhaskar and Arun Salwani orchestrated long-term plans, including through those schemes, to enrich themselves,” the Justice Department statement said.
How Brothers Defrauded the U.S. Government
U.S. authorities said the brothers carried out a visa fraud scheme that included submitting false H-1B visa applications and petitions to the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services to recruit foreign workers, primarily from India, and return a portion of their wages and fees to the Suwani Group.
Also read: 10 Indians arrested in US for planning armed robbery to claim immigration benefits
In another plan, the brothers used another dentist’s national provider identifier to bill Medicaid on dates when the dentist was outside the United States and for procedures performed by an uncredentialed dentist.
The brothers also fraudulently obtained a Medicaid contract and used the nominal business owner to fraudulently bill Medicaid after the Suwanee Group Dental Clinic was terminated from the Medicaid insurance contract.
They also conducted a money laundering scheme to move and conceal health care fraud proceeds through a complex web of bank accounts at Suwani Group companies, ultimately benefiting the brother companies.
