A Michigan home health care company owner was sentenced last Thursday to three years and five months in prison for his role in a health care fraud conspiracy that resulted in almost $7.9 million in false and fraudulent claims for home health care services paid by Medicare Part A.

According to court documents, Muhammad Zafar, 53, of Wayne County, owned and operated a home health care business in Michigan. 

Together with three doctors and two other home health care company owners, Zafar offered kickbacks, bribes, and other inducements to beneficiary recruiters in exchange for Medicare beneficiary information. 

Zafar and his co-conspirators used this information to bill Medicare for services that were medically unnecessary and not provided. Zafar pleaded guilty to submitting approximately $393,500 in claims to Medicare from his home health care company for services that were medically unnecessary, ineligible for Medicare reimbursement, and not provided as represented.

On the same day that Zafar appeared in court for his initial appearance on June 17, 2015, he violated his court-issued bond, crossed the international border into Canada, and shortly thereafter flew to Pakistan. Zafar remained an international fugitive for approximately seven and a half years before returning to the United States to face the charges against him.

On May 29, Zafar pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud.