Federal prosecutors on March 20 charged a former Sunnyvale resident with carrying out a large-scale fraud scheme that allegedly sought more than $90 million from Medicare Advantage programs by submitting thousands of false claims for medical equipment.

A federal grand jury indicted Anar Rustamov, 38, an Azerbaijani, on a charge of health care fraud, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said. Authorities said Rustamov, suspected of entering the U.S. illegally, is currently at large.

According to the indictment, Rustamov used a company he created, Dublin Helping Hand, to submit claims between October 2024 and June 2025 for items such as blood glucose monitors and orthotic braces that were not provided, not medically necessary or not authorized by a provider.

Prosecutors allege the claims were submitted on behalf of unsuspecting Medicare beneficiaries and listed a referring medical provider who had not approved the requests. The scheme sought reimbursement totaling more than $90 million from Medicare Advantage Organizations that administer Medicare Part C plans, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.

FBI Acting Special Agent in Charge Matt Cobo said the alleged scheme attempted to siphon “tens of millions of dollars” from a program intended to provide essential care to patients.

“This case alleges a calculated scheme to exploit a critical health care program for personal gain, attempting to siphon tens of millions of dollars through thousands of fraudulent claims for medical equipment. Programs like Medicare Advantage are funded by American taxpayers and exist to provide essential care to those who need it most — not to be manipulated for profit,” said Cobo. “The FBI and our partners will continue to aggressively pursue individuals who attempt to defraud these vital programs and hold them accountable.”

“The criminal charges announced today reflect the seriousness with which we pursue schemes that undermine the Medicare Advantage program. The scheme alleged in this indictment targeted funds intended to provide necessary health care services to Medicare enrollees,” said Robb R. Breeden, Special Agent in Charge of the San Francisco Regional Office of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG).

Rustamov faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine if convicted.

Written by Gabe Agcaoili for Bay City News.

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