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Hospice Owner Sentenced To 240 Months Imprisonment And Ordered To Repay $42,000,000 For Defrauding Medicare

NEW ORLEANS – U.S. Attorney Duane A. Evans announced that on May 15, 2024, U.S. District Judge Lance Africk sentenced SHIVA AKULA (“AKULA”), age 68, of New Orleans, to 240 months of imprisonment, three years of supervised release and $2,300 in mandatory special assessment fees, in relation to an extensive health care fraud scheme orchestrated by AKULA. In November 2023, a federal jury convicted AKULA of all 23 counts of his underlying indictment. AKULA owned and oversaw the day-to-day operations of Canon Healthcare, LLC, a hospice facility with offices in the New Orleans area, Baton Rouge, Covington, and Gulfport, Mississippi.

Read more on www.justice.gov

Action Details

  • Date:May 16, 2024
  • Agency:U.S. Attorney's Office, Eastern District of Louisiana
  • Enforcement Types:
    • Criminal and Civil Actions