A former Van Nuys physician, a company he founded that runs several health clinics, a laboratory he co-owned, and an executive at these entities have agreed to pay $15 million to settle allegations that they submitted false claims to Medicare and Medi-Cal from the payment of illegal kickbacks and self-referring patients, the Justice Department announced. Mohammad Rasekhi, who surrendered his medical license in December 2024, Sheila Busheri, Southern California Medical Center (SCMC), and R & B Medical Group, Inc. d/b/a Universal Diagnostic Laboratories (UDL) have agreed to pay the amount. Rasekhi is the founder and chief medical officer of SCMC and the co-owner of UDL. Busheri is the chief executive officer of SCMC and the co-owner and chief executive officer of UDL. SCMC is a Federally Qualified Health Center that operates six clinics in Southern California. UDL is a reference and esoteric laboratory in Southern California. Medicaid is funded jointly by the states and the federal government. The State of California paid a portion of the Medicaid claims at issue and will receive approximately $7 million from the settlement.
