The pending fraud case against Sam Sarkis Solakyan, former president CEO of Vital Imaging, Inc. in Glendale, and San Diego MRI Institute, has brought additional lien stays. Federal prosecutors are pursuing charges of conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, and multiple counts of honest services mail fraud, in a kickback scheme that they allege to have generated almost $300 million in charges stemming from illegal referrals and kickbacks. Solakyan is accused of paying over $8.8 million in kickbacks for the referrals, involving a host of related businesses.
Liens filed by Vital Imaging, San Diego MRI Institute, and Empire Radiology are stayed pursuant to section 4615 of the Labor Code, which places an automatic stay on liens filed by the associated entities charged with fraud. In 2017, the Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC) dismissed hundreds of millions of dollars of liens linked to Solakyan under SB 1160.
The other related companies associated with Solakyan include:
- Global Holdings LLC
- Empire Radiology LLC
- Access Integrated Healthcare
- Access Imaging LLC
- Paramount Management Services LLC
- Capital Edge Holdings, LLC
Initially filed by the U.S.Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of California, the case is being prosecuted by the U.S. Attorney’s office for the Central District of California. That change occurred following the recusal of several attorneys following the appointment of Robert Brewer, who had previously represented Solakyan, as U.S. Attorney for the Southern District.
SRTK will continue to monitor these developments. Please contact our offices with any questions about what this may mean for you.