California Doctor Sentenced to 15 Years for $45 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
Violetta Mailyan used fraudulent claims for medically unnecessary Botox to fund a lavish lifestyle, including luxury vacations and vehicles.
A Glendale, California doctor has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for orchestrating a Medicare fraud scheme that defrauded the government of over $45 million. Violetta Mailyan, 45, was found guilty by a jury of submitting fraudulent claims for Botox treatments that were either medically unnecessary, purely cosmetic, or never performed.
The scheme, operated through her Healthy Way Medical Center clinic, involved billing taxpayers for procedures supposedly administered while the clinic was closed or while Mailyan was traveling. Evidence presented at trial indicated that more than $19 million in claims were for Botox injections that allegedly took place on days the clinic was shut.
Mailyan also submitted claims while on vacation to destinations including Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, and New York. In one instance, she billed Medicare more than $200,000 for treatments supposedly given to California patients while she was in Cabo.
Medicare typically reimburses Botox injections when they are medically necessary for treating chronic migraines. Prosecutors stated that Mailyan exploited this by billing for thousands of procedures that were never conducted, were cosmetic in nature, or lacked required primary-care referrals for migraine treatment.
The illicit funds generated by the fraud were used to finance a lavish lifestyle, including the purchase of two Tesla vehicles, five properties in California, a $12,000 antique crossbow, and a $3,000 painting.
The sentencing judge described Mailyan's fraud as "truly breathtaking in scope and shocking in its duration," and her actions as "almost unbelievable in their brazenness."
In addition to her prison sentence, Mailyan was ordered to forfeit over $16 million in seized assets, including real estate, securities, and bank funds. She was also ordered to pay $32,904,049.41 in restitution to Medicare.
Mailyan's conviction followed a six-day jury trial that concluded in May 2026. She was found guilty on nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstruction of a criminal investigation involving a health care offense.