Maryland psychiatrist Sukhveen K. Ajrawat indicted for federal health care fraud

July 7, 2014

Greenbelt, Maryland - A federal grand jury has indicted two doctors, Paramjit Singh Ajrawat, age 60, and his wife, Sukhveen Kaur Ajrawat, age 56, both of Potomac, Maryland, on charges of health care fraud in connection with the pain clinic they owned and operated. The indictment was returned on June 24, 2014.

The indictment was announced by United States Attorney for the District of Maryland Rod J. Rosenstein; Special Agent in Charge Robert Craig of the Defense Criminal Investigative Service - Mid-Atlantic Field Office; Special Agent in Charge Nicholas DiGiulio, Office of Investigations, Office of Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services; Special Agent in Charge Drew Grimm, Office of Personnel Management, Office of Inspector General; Special Agent in Charge Stephen E. Vogt of the Federal Bureau of Investigation; Special Agent in Charge Bill Jones, of the Washington Regional Office, U.S. Department of Labor - Office of Inspector General, Office of Labor Racketeering and Fraud Investigations; and Special Agent in Charge Paul Bowman of the U.S. Postal Service, Office of Inspector General.

According to the indictment, P. Ajrawat was a licensed physician in Maryland who specialized in interventional pain management. S. Ajrawat was a licensed psychiatrist in Maryland. The Ajrawats owned and operated Washington Pain Management Center (WPMC) located in Greenbelt.

The 16-count indictment alleges that from at least August 2008 through May 2014, the Ajrawats engaged in a scheme to defraud federal health benefit programs including: Medicare, Medicaid, TRICARE, Federal Employees Health Benefits Program and the Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs. Specifically, the indictment alleges that the Ajrawats filed claims for procedures that were not performed (rather, less expensive procedures were performed and then the Ajrawats falsely billed for procedures that provided higher reimbursements), or were not performed in compliance with the requirements for reimbursement.

For example the indictment alleges that the Ajrwats submitted claims that P. Ajrawat had performed an epidural, when instead P. Ajrawat had performed less invasive injections using lidocaine, which was not indicated for epidural use. The Ajrawats allegedly falsely documented the use of an ultrasound machine to direct needle placement in certain patient files and caused the alteration or destruction of patient files to conceal the scheme.

The indictment also seeks the forfeiture of $2,329,109, believed to be the proceeds of the scheme.

The defendants face a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison for each count of health care fraud. An initial appearance has not yet been scheduled.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt. An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceedings.

United States Attorney Rod J. Rosenstein praised DCIS, HHS-Office of Inspector General, OPM-Office of Inspector General, FBI, U.S. Department of Labor-Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Postal Service-Office of Inspector General for their work in the investigation. Mr. Rosenstein thanked Assistant United States Attorney Kelly O. Hayes, who is prosecuting the case.

Source: "Doctors Indicted For Health Care Fraud," news release of the United States Attorney's Office, District of Maryland, June 26, 2014.