Pakistani national sentenced in US for health care fraud, money laundering conspiracy

Muhammad Ateeq, 33, of Rawalpindi, Pakistan, was sentenced to 12 years in prison and ordered to pay approximately $48 million in restitution.

In addition, Judge Manish Shah ordered the forfeiture of a $2.4 million cashier’s check and over $1 million in cash.

According to court documents, Ateeq worked in the Islamabad office of Home Health Care Consulting, an entity that controlled Medicare billing and maintenance of electronic medical records for over 20 home health agencies located in Illinois, Indiana, Nevada and Texas.

While working at Home Health Care Consulting, Ateeq used a variety of fake identities, including Nilesh Patel, Sanjay Kapoor and Rajesh Desai, to acquire and manage home health agencies in the United States.

Once the agencies were under Ateeq’s control, Ateeq caused the agencies to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for home health services, resulting in over $40 million in payments for services that were never rendered.

As part of the money laundering conspiracy, Ateeq directed his US employees to deposit checks of fraud proceeds into US bank accounts designated by overseas customers of overseas money transmitting businesses.

The money transmitting businesses then issued cash payments to Ateeq in Pakistan, as well as deposits into bank accounts in Pakistan under Ateeq’s control.

Ateeq also directed US employees to use fraud proceeds to purchase expensive watches and other luxury items in the United States and then deliver the items to Ateeq’s associates in Dubai.

Assistant Attorney General Kenneth A. Polite Jr. of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division; US Attorney John R. Lausch, Jr. for the Northern District of Illinois; Assistant Director Luis Quesada of the FBI’s Criminal Investigative Division; Special Agent-in-Charge Emmerson Buie Jr. of the FBI Chicago Field Office; and Principal Deputy Inspector General Christi A. Grimm of the US Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) made the announcement.

The FBI Chicago Field Office and HHS-OIG investigated the case.

Trial Attorney Sarah Wilson Rocha of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and Assistant US Attorneys Jeremy Daniel and Patrick Mott of the Northern District of Illinois prosecuted the case.