A federal grand jury in Alaska has indicted an Anchorage doctor and her husband on charges of health care fraud and tax evasion.
According to court documents, from 2010 to 2023, Claribel Tan, 60, a practicing rheumatologist, and her husband, Daniel Tan, 69, operated Claribel K. Tan MD LLC (CKTMD), a medical clinic in Anchorage. The indictment alleges that the couple defrauded health care benefit programs by submitting false claims that misrepresented the type and dosage of medication and the scope of medical services provided to patients. It further alleges that both defendants deceived patients about the necessity of receiving medication at the clinic and created false medical records. Additionally, it is alleged that Claribel Tan misled patients regarding the substances injected into their bodies. In total, the Tans reportedly received over $10 million in fraudulently obtained funds. In a separate civil action, the Justice Department seized approximately $8.5 million from the defendants' accounts.
The indictment also accuses the Tans of evading income taxes for 2014, 2015, and 2017 by providing false information to their return preparer that overstated CKTMD’s expenses and filing false tax returns that understated their income. Daniel Tan is also accused of evading income taxes for 2016 by providing false information for that year's return. Their accountant allegedly ceased preparing tax returns for them thereafter, leading to the Tans not filing tax returns for 2016.
Further allegations state that the Tans did not file tax returns from 2018 through 2021 despite being legally required to do so.
Both defendants are charged with one count of health care fraud and four counts of willful failure to file a tax return. Daniel Tan faces four counts while Claribel Tan faces three counts of attempting to evade and defeat tax obligations. They are scheduled to make their initial court appearance today before U.S. Magistrate Judge Scott A. Oravec of the U.S. District Court for the District of Alaska.
If convicted, they face a maximum sentence of ten years in prison for health care fraud, five years for each count of tax evasion, and one year for each count of failing to file a tax return. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Stuart M. Goldberg of the Justice Department’s Tax Division and U.S. Attorney S. Lane Tucker for the District of Alaska made the announcement.
The case is being investigated by multiple agencies including IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, FBI, Defense Contract Audit Agency, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General Criminal Investigations Division, Department of Labor Employee Benefits Security Administration, Food and Drug Administration Office of Criminal Investigations, and State of Alaska Division of Insurance Investigation Unit.
Trial Attorney Dominick Giovanniello from the Justice Department’s Tax Division along with Assistant U.S Attorneys Morgan Walker and Seth Beausang for the District of Alaska are prosecuting this case.
An indictment is merely an allegation; all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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