California doctor ran nation's 'largest Botox fraud scheme,' filing $45 million in claims for lush lifestyle
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More than a year ago, federal officials noticed something fishy about a Glendale-based doctor: she had collected more in Medicare Botox reimbursements than any other provider in the nation.During a four-year period beginning in 2020, Violetta Mailyan pocketed more than $25 million for Botox injections through Medicare payments, more than five times what any other doctor made in the same time frame, according to a news release from the Department of Justice.
Turns out, it was all part of an elaborate fraud scheme that prosecutors say ignored Medicare’s rules for Botox coverage and brazenly fabricated medical records, all to fund the doctor’s lavish lifestyle.Mailyan, 45, was convicted this week in federal court, accused of submitting more than $45 million in fraudulent Medicare claims for Botox injections and attempting to mislead investigators working on the case.
California A Florida woman was convicted in connection with the death of a social media model to whom she had given silicone injections, prosecutors said.Prosecutors said she submitted claims for injections “that were never provided and medically unnecessary” from 2019 through 2025, working as the primary physician, owner and operator of Healthy Way Medical Center in Glendale.Medicare reimburses providers for Botox injections only in specific circumstances, such as for chronic migraines or excessive muscle contractions, and it must be considered medically necessary and typically only after other interventions haven’t worked, according to court records from the case.
Instead, prosecutors said, “Mailyan billed and received payments for thousands of injections that were never provided or were provided only for cosmetic purposes.”Mailyan also billed for injections performed while she was out of town, including while she was on vacation in Cabo, Hawaii, Las Vegas and New York, and on days her clinic was clos...