Associated Press
The owner of a Brooklyn clinic has admitted to her role in a $71 million Medicare fraud and money laundering scheme.
Prosecutors say Irina Shelikhova, a Ukrainian national and former resident of Brooklyn and Staten Island, pleaded guilty Tuesday in Brooklyn federal court to conspiracy to commit money laundering.
Court documents say the owners, operators and employees of the clinic paid cash kickbacks to Medicare beneficiaries and used their names to bill Medicare for services that were unnecessary or never provided.
Prosecutors say 16 individuals have been charged in the scheme.
Shelikhova fled to Ukraine after her co-conspirators were arrested. She voluntarily returned to the U.S. in June, 2012. She faces up to 20 years in prison at her March 20 sentencing.
