Ex-weight-loss doctor faces sentencing in Lap-Band fraud case

By City News Service

apnea.

Prosecutors told the Los Angeles federal court jury that Omidi created a process that turned "patients into profits" by directing employees to "falsely diagnose patients with a sleep disorder they didn't have."

The defense argued that Omidi was a victim of a sleep-study con man named Charles Klasky, who "posed as an expert in sleep medicine" and tricked Omidi into allowing him to oversee the sleep-study program.

covered by insurance plans he knew would never cover Lap-Band surgery — to have at least one sleep study, and employees were offered commissions to make sure the studies occurred.

According to federal prosecutors, Omidi decided every patient would get a sleep study, and the scheme "got the patients in the door with false promises, gave them false hope, and billed their insurance companies with false claims."

bogus information, including patients' heights and weights, insurance companies authorized payment for many of the proposed Lap-Band surgeries. Prosecutors said GET THIN received at least $38 million for the Lap-Band procedures.

The former operator of the now-defunct

1-800-GET-THIN ad campaign faces sentencing Monday for using fabricated sleep studies to persuade insurance companies to pay out tens of millions of dollars for Lap-Band surgery.

Julian Omidi, 54, of West Hollywood, and one of his companies, Beverly Hills-based Surgery Center Management, were found guilty in December 2021 of multiple wire and mail fraud counts.

Omidi, a former doctor, also was found guilty of two counts of making false statements relating to healthcare matters and one count each of aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Additionally, Omidi and SCM were found guilty of one count of conspiracy to commit money laundering, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.

The Lap-Band is a silicone ring that is surgi- cally implanted around the stomach to discourage overeating. The weightloss-surgery business was widely advertised on Southern California freeway billboards, radio and television, attracting people desperate to shed excess pounds.

But before insurance companies would preapprove the $100,000 surgery, prospective patients had to show they suffered from certain afflictions, including sleep

Klasky pleaded guilty to a federal conspiracy charge and was handed a probationary sentence last year.

Prosecutors told the jury that patients were harmed as a result of the scheme when they were subjected to unnecessary medical procedures and that insurance providers were conned out of millions of dollars after receiving fraudulent bills.

Omidi, whose medical license was revoked in 2009, established procedures requiring prospective patients — even those

After patients underwent sleep studies — often with little indication that any doctor had determined the study was necessary — GET THIN employees, acting at Omidi's direction, falsified the results to reflect that the patient had moderate or severe sleep apnea and that they suffered from severe daytime sleepiness, the jury found.

Omidi then caused those falsified reports to be used in support of GET THIN's pre-authorization requests for Lap-Band surgery, evidence showed.

Relying on the falsified studies, as well as other to the editor

Even if the insurance company did not authorize the surgery, GET THIN still was able to submit bills for an average of $15,000 for each sleep study, the jury was told during the 48-day trial in downtown Los Angeles. The insurance payments were deposited into bank accounts associated with the GET THIN entities.

Benefit programs victimized by the billing scam include TriCare — the health care program for uniformed service members, retirees and their families around the world — and various private insurance companies.

Omidi's mother, Cindy, was sentenced to probation in 2015 after she was convicted of violating laws designed to prevent money laundering.

In response to China’s recent military exercise around Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Republic of China (Taiwan) has strongly condemned China’s aforementioned unilateral action, calling it a violation of the United Nations Charter. Taiwan’s statement comes in response to China's overreaction to President Tsai Ing-wen's "Democratic Partners for Common Prosperity Tour" in which she visited Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and stopped in the United States on her trip.

Taiwan has never been a part of the People’s Republic of China (PRC), and the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the PRC are not subordinate to each other. Therefore, Taiwan’s elected officials have the right to visit other countries without acquiring China's permission in advance. China's use of military exercises as an excuse to deepen the resentment of the Chinese people and undermine peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific region is unacceptable. Taiwan will not be provoked into conflict and will continue to respond calmly with a firm attitude, work closely with the United States and other countries to preserve the rules-based international order and defend a free and open Indo-Pacific.

In the face of China's increasing assertiveness and military aggression, we call on the international community to step up and take action to ensure peace and harmony in the region. The United States has made it clear that it has ample resources and capabilities in the Indo-Pacific region to honor its security commitments and maintain stability. It is equally important for other like-minded countries to do the same and work together to deter authoritarian expansion and aggression.

- Amino C. Y. Chi Director General Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles

Re: ‘Clarence Thomas and the billionaire’ (April 13 issue)

After reading last week’s article, “Clarence Thomas and the billionaire,” should anyone be surprised that Americans are losing respect for the Supreme Court?

Imagine! For more than two decades, according to documents and interviews, Justice Clarence Thomas has accepted luxury trips virtually every year from his friend, a Dallas businessman, without ever mentioning them in any of his financial disclosures.

Common sense and professional ethics are not difficult to grasp and follow. For example, would it not be considered suspicious if a teacher accepted expensive gifts and luxurious trips from one of his pupil’s rich parents because they were friends?

No harm in that, of course, unless the school administration prohibited its teachers from receiving luxurious presents from the parents of any of his students. But such an exchange, nevertheless, could very likely be questionable, and any educator would wisely avoid it.

So what’s keeping Justice Clarence Thomas from imitating the ethical standards of a humble school teacher? Instead, shouldn’t a teacher be expected to imitate the ethical conduct of a Supreme Court justice?

In December 2000, that august body of jurists illegally placed George W. Bush into the Oval Office because they wanted a Republican president. And not long ago they overturned the decision in a Supreme Court case that, for fifty years, gave women the constitutional right to have an abortion.

It’s easy then to see why Thomas feels free to ignore his duty to report to the government his millions of dollars worth of gifts, as the law requires.

David Quintero Monrovia

Asking illegal questions to candidates during job interviews is so normal that we almost forget where the boundaries exist. In the US, employers are not allowed to ask questions about marital status, pregnancy, age, nationality and so much more. Yet, they do. Sometimes, companies ask these questions overtly, and other times, the questions come in an indirect way.

Over the years, I have been asked many of these questions in interviews. Each time, I feel disappointed. It is disappointing that my accomplishments and skills don't seem to be enough. And, it is disappointing that employers feel so comfortable crossing legal and ethical boundaries.

Once, in a single interview, a C-level executive of a well-known restaurant chain asked me, "Are you married? Do you have children? Do you have plans to have any children soon?" In other interviews, I've been asked if I have a husband or a boyfriend. I've been asked how I feel about being older than the

By Angela Copeland angela@copelandcoaching.com

people I'll be working with. Recently, I was asked if I had taken maternity leave while at a previous job.

I was once asked extensive questions about my availability for travel. Multiple interviewers wanted to know if I'm able to fly. They wanted to know if I can be away from home, and if it was okay to be away for long periods of time. At first, I felt confused. I had never been asked so many questions about how I feel about travel. Typically, I'm asked if I'm open to travel and we move on. But, it dawned on me that in this case, the employer may have been trying to discern if I have young children that would need to be taken care of.

All of these questions came during job interviews. They were asked by professional, highly educated individuals. I'm certain these folks were aware of what they should and should not ask. When I share these unfortunate stories with friends, their reaction is always the same: "These questions are illegal. How can anyone ask these questions? This is not allowed."

The problem is that companies risk very little by asking candidates such questions. As a job seeker, you would first need to prove that these questions were asked. I don't know about you, but I have never been one to record my job interviews. Second, you would need to prove that your response to the questions was the reason you weren't hired.

As a job seeker, your primary goal is to land a job. This is why few candidates pursue these issues, and it's the reason that companies are able to continue on with these unfortunate questions. If this happens to you, what can you do? The most important thing is to think about how you feel. Is this the kind of company that you'd like to work for? Use the information you learn to help you to decide if this company aligns with your values.

Angela Copeland, a leadership and career expert, can be reached at www. angelacopeland.com.