Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown announced the guilty pleas and sentencing of Tahir Afzal, 61, Mehmood Ashraf Afzal, 33, both of Frederick, Maryland, and Ayesha Afzal, 34, of Boca Raton, Florida, on charges of Medicaid fraud. On December 13, 2023, the defendants pleaded guilty to defrauding the Maryland and District of Columbia Medicaid programs of more than $550,000 by billing for durable medical equipment that was not medically necessary and oftentimes not delivered to Medicaid recipients. Medicaid is a joint federal-state program that provides healthcare benefits to low-income individuals. On March 15, 2024, Frederick County Circuit Court Judge Theresa M. Adams sentenced Tahir Afzal to five years’ incarceration, suspending all but two years, to be served on home detention, and five years of probation. Judge Adams sentenced both Mehmood Ashraf Afzal and Ayesha Afzal to five years’ incarceration, all suspended, and three years of probation. The defendants are liable for restitution in the amount of $575,122.40, the full amount of which was paid at sentencing. Additionally, the defendants were ordered to pay a civil penalty of $575,122.40 to be paid over three years from the date of sentencing. All three defendants are precluded from providing healthcare services that are either partially or wholly funded by state or federal governments, including Medicaid for the District of Columbia.
