Ten Defendants Enter Guilty Pleas on Medi-Cal Fraud Charges

(LONG BEACH, Calif.) – Attorney General Bill Lockyer today reported the sentencing of a Long Beach physician to 16 months in prison for defrauding California's Medi-Cal program of $375,000. Dr. Evancia Sy was the latest of 10 defendants who entered guilty pleas in a criminal conspiracy that bilked more than $600,000 from the Medi-Cal program.

In addition to the prison sentence, the Long Beach Superior Court ordered Sy to repay 100% of the $375,000 that she stole. Sy is one of four doctors charged with defrauding the Medi-Cal program and making false prescriptions. Five health clinic workers and two sellers of Medi-Cal cards, also were charged as part of the Medi-Cal fraud ring.

Pleading guilty earlier this year to charges of Medi-Cal fraud were Drs. Catherine Noel-Uyloan, of Cypress; and Nick Hung Lee, of Alhambra, Dr. Lolita Resari, of Panorama City, who faces similar charges, is set for May 22.

Other defendants who entered guilty pleas to felony charges of defrauding the Medi-Cal program were Lisa Cristobal, of Long Beach; Maria Andrada, of Hawthorne; Sonia Agcaolili, of Long Beach; Norman Imperial, of Anaheim; and Abner Tagumasi, of Carson. The physicians and four health care assistants worked at Long Beach Medical Therapy Clinic, operated by Dr. Noel-Uyloan in Long Beach, and Dr. Sy and Tagumasi worked at Carson Unicare Clinic, operated by Dr. Sy.

An investigation by the Attorney General's Bureau of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse found that the defendants created phony patient charts and wrote phony patient consent forms used to fraudulently bill the Medi-Cal program. Patient information used in the fraudulent billing came from Medi-Cal beneficiary cards purchased from Chilynna Heart Lo, of Long Beach and Sokanha Vong, of San Bernardino, who were charged in January with selling Medi-Cal beneficiary cards.