Livingston Doctor Indicted in Kickback Scheme

A federal grand jury has returned an indictment charging Yash Khanna, 69, of Livingston with soliciting and receiving kickbacks from Orange Community MRI LLC (OCM) in return for referring patients there for services that were paid for in part or in whole under the Medicare and Medicaid federal healthcare programs.  Khanna is with receiving monthly bribes from OCM. 

The four page indictment details the kickback scheme that started in early 2010.  It accuses Khanna of receiving the payments from OCM in exchange for referring the Medicare and Medicaid patients to OCM for diagnostic tests.  Khanna is alleged to have negotiated the value of each test.

In October 2011, Khanna received an envelope containing $360 from what he thought was a representative of OCM.  According to court documents, the representative was actually an undercover cooperating witness, posing as an Orange Community employee.  Khanna received another envelope in November from the same witness.

If convicted of violating the federal health care program anti-kickback statute by soliciting and receiving bribes, Khanna faces a maximum of five years in prison and a $250,000 fine, or twice the gross gain or loss from the offense.