Prosecutors said the brothers built a network of businesses known as the Savani Group, which generated millions of dollars through these illegal schemes over several years.
Two Indian-origin brothers from Pennsylvania, Bhaskar Savani, 60, and Arun Savani, 58, have been found guilty in a major multi-state racketeering conspiracy involving several types of fraud, including visa fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion. Prosecutors said the brothers built a network of businesses known as the Savani Group, which generated millions of dollars through these illegal schemes over several years.
Bhaskar Savani, a dentist by profession, was directly linked to the group’s medical-related fraud. Authorities said the brothers orchestrated a wide range of fraudulent activities through their companies and associated entities. According to a press release by the US Attorney’s Office, their actions formed a long-running criminal enterprise designed to enrich themselves through deception and misuse of government programs.
Schemes And Scams
- H-1B visa fraud: Prosecutors said the Savani Group filed fraudulent visa applications and petitions to recruit foreign workers, most of whom were from India. Once hired, these workers were allegedly forced to pay various fees and return portions of their wages to the Savani Group, effectively exploiting their dependency on the company for immigration status.
- Health care fraud scheme: The brothers were also found guilty of large-scale healthcare fraud targeting the Medicaid programme. Investigators said the Savani Group continued to obtain Medicaid payments even after their dental practices were terminated from Medicaid insurance contracts. They allegedly did this by operating through nominee-owned dental practices, which billed Medicaid on their behalf. Officials said the scheme resulted in more than $30 million in fraudulent Medicaid claims.
- False Medicaid bills: Authorities also discovered that the group submitted false Medicaid bills using another dentist’s National Provider Identifier (NPI) on dates when that dentist was actually outside the United States. In addition, procedures were sometimes carried out by uncredentialed dentists, which further violated healthcare regulations.
- Money Laundering: Prosecutors said the Savani brothers then engaged in money laundering, transferring and concealing the proceeds of healthcare fraud through a complex network of corporate bank accounts tied to various Savani Group entities.
- Tax and wire fraud: The investigation also uncovered tax and wire fraud. Authorities said the brothers failed to pay taxes on around $1.6 million in personal income and $1.1 million in unreported employee income. They allegedly disguised personal expenses, such as college tuition payments, property taxes, and maintenance costs for their homes, as business expenses.
- Unsafe Medical Devices: In another disturbing allegation, investigators found that the group used prototype dental implants labelled “Not For Human Use” and implanted them in patients without their knowledge or consent. These devices had not been cleared by the US Food and Drug Administration.
Interestingly, despite being under investigation and later charged in 2023, the brothers had publicly posted on social media about meeting FBI Director Kash Patel and celebrated his appointment.