Tonmoy Sharma, a Guwahati-born, US-based pharma entrepreneur and former CEO of Sovereign Health Group, has been arrested at Los Angele s International Airport in connection with a massive $149 million healthcare fraud case. According to India Today, Sharma, 61, originally from Guwahati and an alumnus of Dibrugarh Medical College, faces multiple federal charges in the United States.
The US Attorney’s Office (Central District of California) announced that Sharma has been indicted on eight counts, including four counts of wire fraud, one count of conspiracy, and three counts of illegal remuneration for patient referrals. His arrest on May 29 follows a lengthy federal investigation into the now-defunct Sovereign Health Group — an addiction treatment network that operated in Southern California.
According to prosecutors, Sharma and his co-defendants fraudulently enrolled patients in health insurance plans without their consent, submitted fake claims, and paid over $21 million in illegal kickbacks to secure patient referrals.
