Los Angeles Doctor Shivangi Amin Charged in $2 Million Medicare Hospice Fraud Case

Los Angeles — Federal prosecutors have charged Los Angeles-based physician Dr. Shivangi Amin, 39, in a $2 million Medicare hospice fraud case. The charges were formally filed on April 10, 2025 in the Central District of California.

A few months later, in July 2025, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) publicly highlighted the case as part of its National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a nationwide initiative targeting fraudulent billing schemes in federal health programs.

Investigators allege that Dr. Amin falsely diagnosed patients with terminal illnesses and referred them to hospice care facilities without ever meeting the patients, reviewing their medical records, or confirming their conditions. She reportedly signed off on prescription forms containing fabricated diagnoses, which hospices used to bill Medicare.

Hospice care is designed to provide comfort and support to patients with a life expectancy of six months or less, focusing on quality of life rather than curative treatment. Because it is fully covered by Medicare, hospice services are vulnerable to abuse when patients who are not actually terminally ill are referred.

Between November 2019 and November 2021, prosecutors allege that Dr. Amin received nearly $60,000 in kickbacks for making these fraudulent referrals.

From December 2020 through April 2023, the hospice referrals allegedly triggered over $2 million in false Medicare claims, with approximately $1.9 million paid to several California hospice providers, including Prominent Hospice, Blue Cross Hospice, MGA Home Care, Silver Age Hospice, Burbank Hospice, Trustbridge Hospice, Community Hospice, and AVME Hospice.

Dr. Amin faces one count of conspiracy to commit health care fraud. If convicted, she could face significant prison time and potential forfeiture of any illegal earnings. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sandor Callahan of the Los Angeles Strike Force, a division that focuses on health care fraud enforcement.

The case is currently in its pre-trial stage, with no trial date or plea agreement publicly announced. Its inclusion in the July 2025 DOJ National Health Care Fraud Takedown highlights the government’s ongoing effort to protect Medicare funds and hold health care providers accountable.

Reference

1. U.S. Department of Justice. “2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown: Case Summaries.” Department of Justice, July 2025. Accessed September 15, 2025. https://www.justice.gov/criminal/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit/2025-national-hcf-case-summaries

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