An laboratory owner pleaded guilty to wire fraud as part of a testing fraud scheme on September 30, according to the . Zishan Alvi, 45, was the owner and operator of a Chicago laboratory that was accused of making fraudulent claims to the Department of Health and Human Services' Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to bill for COVID-19 tests that were not conducted as described from February 2021 to February 2022. The HRSA reportedly as a result of fraudulent claims.
The press release states that the laboratory released negative results for samples that were either not tested, or inconclusive. The and the Office of Inspector General for the United States Department of Health and Human Services (HHS-OIG) continue to investigate the case. reached out to the law firm Alvi's attorney works for, Lowther Walker, to attempt to reach his attorney for comment via a form on their website.
According to , the laboratory purported to offer two forms of COVID-19 testing, PCR tests and antigen tests that would deliver results in 15 minutes. It alleges that Alvi enrolled the laboratory in the HRSA Uninsured Program in December 2020, a program created during the pandemic to cover the costs of COVID-19 testing for those who did not have health insurance coverage. The laboratory allegedly received more than $83 million from the HRSA for COVID-19 tests purportedly conducted by the lab, according to Federal prosecutors alleged that Alvi to purchase luxury vehicles and make investme.
