O.C. doctor charged with defrauding COVID healthcare program of $150 million

An Orange County doctor was charged last week of allegedly defrauding a federal COVID-19 healthcare program for uninsured patients by submitting false claims in a scheme that netted him about $150 million, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.

Anthony Hao Dinh, 64, of Newport Beach is facing 12 counts of wire fraud, five counts of money laundering and a count of obstructing justice. Dinh, a licensed doctor of osteopathy and an ear, nose and throat specialist, is out of custody on a $7-million bond, according to prosecutors and court records.

Dinh was initially charged in a criminal complaint filed in April. The grand jury indictment last week expands the case by increasing the total amount in fraudulent claims Dinh allegedly submitted and adding money laundering and obstruction charges. Prosecutors claim this is the largest fraud scheme in the nation targeting Health Resources and Services Administration’s uninsured program that authorities have uncovered.

Prosecutors allege that over the course of nine months — from July 2020 to March 2021 — Dinh submitted more than a quarter-billion dollars in fraudulent claims to the Health Resources and Services Administration as part of a program aimed to provide access for COVID-19 testing and treatment to uninsured patients during the pandemic. The program was also designed to help support healthcare providers by reimbursing them for care provided to those without medical insurance.

Some of the claims Dinh filed were for patients who had medical insurance, while others reported services that were not rendered or were not medically necessary, according to prosecutors.

After the investigations began, prosecutors allege, Dinh submitted false patient records in response to a subpoena from the grand jury.

Dinh’s attorney did not immediately respond to a phone call seeking comment Sunday.

Prosecutors also allege that Dinh submitted 65 fraudulent loan applications seeking nearly $8 million under two other COVID-era programs — the Paycheck Protection Program and Economic Injury Disaster Loan Program. Ultimately, Dinh was paid roughly $2.8 million from those two programs, according to court records.

Dinh faces up to 20 years in prison if convicted of the wire fraud charges and three of the money laundering charges, up to 10 years for two of the money laundering charges and up to 20 years for the obstruction of justice charge.

Dinh’s sister, Hanna Trinh Dinh, 65, who was also charged in April for her role in the scheme, has agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud, according to the U.S. attorney’s office.