The Kentucky Sentate gavel rests on the wooden sound block in the Kentucky Senate chambers before the first day of Concurrence began at the state Capitol in Frankfort, Ky. March 13, 2025.
Los Angeles, California – A California physician who participated in a years-long Medicare fraud scheme has been sentenced to 54 months in federal prison — but she wasn’t in the courtroom to hear it.
Dr. Lilit Gagikovna Baltaian, 61, of Porter Ranch, was sentenced in absentia this week in Los Angeles after pleading guilty to one count of health care fraud in November 2024. Federal prosecutors say Baltaian, a licensed physician and enrolled Medicare provider, orchestrated a fraudulent scheme involving bogus home health care certifications that cost the government nearly $1.5 million. She remains a fugitive.
Between 2012 and 2018, Baltaian falsely certified patients as eligible for home health services through at least four Los Angeles-area home health agencies. According to court documents, she never examined many of the patients she certified, and often allowed agencies to use blank, pre-signed forms that she had authorized in advance. These fraudulent certifications were then used by the agencies to submit claims to Medicare for care that was medically unnecessary — or never provided at all.
At the core of the scheme was a system of convenience and kickbacks. Prosecutors allege Baltaian knowingly allowed the home health agencies to fill in fabricated medical findings on her behalf, while also collecting cash payments for the referrals. In addition, she billed Medicare separately for completing the paperwork, despite knowing the certifications were falsified.
The estimated financial damage to the Medicare system was $1,497,159.64, according to the Department of Justice. In addition to the prison sentence, Baltaian has been ordered to repay that amount in restitution.
The case reflects a persistent challenge in Medicare oversight — detecting fraud in a sprawling health care system where paperwork, not direct observation, often drives reimbursement. The fraudulent certifications weren’t discovered for years, despite the systemic nature of the operation and the use of the same physician across multiple agencies.
What remains unclear is Baltaian’s current whereabouts. She pleaded guilty last fall but has since disappeared and was not present at her sentencing. Authorities have not provided details on efforts to locate her or how long she has been missing.
Baltaian’s actions, both in this case and in her absentia underscores the vulnerabilities in Medicare’s home health program and the difficulty in prosecuting health care fraud when key defendants vanish. In the meantime, the cost is borne not only in dollars but in public trust — particularly as the program supports millions of older and low-income Americans across California and the country.
