Five California defendants sentenced to prison for nearly $16 million in Medicare losses through sham hospice operations and money laundering; Fichidzhyan received 12 years and $17.1M restitution.

Fichidzhyan / Esparza / Sham Hospice Operations (California) — $16M Medicare Hospice Fraud

Outcome: Five defendants sentenced to a combined decades of prison time and ordered to pay restitution totaling nearly $30 million for operating sham hospice entities that defrauded Medicare of nearly $16 million.

Five California residents operated a network of sham hospice operations that billed Medicare for hospice services not legitimately rendered to eligible patients. The scheme generated nearly $16 million in Medicare losses. Fraudulent proceeds were laundered to conceal the source of funds.

Individual sentences and restitution:

• Petros Fichidzhyan (Granada Hills): 12 years prison; $17,129,060 restitution


• Mihran Panosyan (Winnetka): 57 months prison; $4,680,146 restitution


• Karpis Srapyan (Winnetka): 57 months prison; $3,203,574 restitution


• Juan Carlos Esparza (Valley Village): 57 months prison; $1,825,012 restitution


• Susanna Harutyunyan (Winnetka): 15 months prison; $2,822,963 restitution

The case was prosecuted by the U.S. Department of Justice and announced November 18, 2025. The scale of restitution — particularly the $17.1 million assigned to Fichidzhyan — reflects his role as the primary orchestrator of the scheme.

Primary Source: Four California Residents Sentenced to Prison in Connection with $16M Hospice Fraud and Money Laundering Scheme