A California doctor, Violetta Mailyan, has been indicted for a $45 million Medicare fraud scheme involving false billing for Botox injections that she never provided or were unnecessary.
Dr. Violetta Mailyan carried out an elaborate fraud scheme by falsely diagnosing patients and submitting fake claims for Botox injections while she was vacationing, Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said in a press release dated May 19, 2026.
A Central District of California jury also convicted Mailyan for altering and manipulating medical records to trick and mislead investigators. Federal agents started looking into the defendant following a referral from the Data Analytics Team at the Health Care Fraud Section, whose analysis uncovered that Medicare was paying Mailyan more than any other doctor in the country for Botox injections.
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The Analytics team also found that Mailyan received more than a whopping $45 million for Botox over a period of four years, which is 6 times more than the amount received by the next group of healthcare providers — neurologists.
U.S. Medicare reimburses health care providers for Botox injections for documented cases of chronic migraines.
However, as per the press release, which cited court documents, Mailyan, 45, who claimed to provide beauty and cosmetic services at her clinic, Healthy Way Medical Center, billed and received reimbursements for thousands of injections that were either never provided or used for cosmetic purposes only.
The defendant reportedly also billed Medicare for patients who had not been referred for treating chronic migraines by their primary care physicians.
Evidence presented during the trial also revealed that Mailyan billed for Botox injections even when she was vacationing in New York, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, Cabo, Hawaii, Mexico, and Maui. She also billed for purportedly using the injections on an incarcerated individual who was in prison at the time.
Evidence also revealed that the defendant billed for injections totaling over $19 million on days when her clinic remained closed. She even manipulated and fabricated medical records of patients to make it appear as if they suffered from chronic migraines and backdated claims for injections, which she said she allegedly provided even before the patients contacted her clinic for an appointment.
According to court documents, Mailyan spent the proceeds from the multi-million-dollar fraud scheme on lavish vacations and luxury collectibles.
Following the conviction, jurors also ruled that several assets tied to the fraud scheme must be forfeited. These included a Tesla Model X, a Tesla Cybertruck, more than $251,000 spread across several bank accounts, brokerage accounts worth $7,312,037 at the time they were seized, and four properties located in Surfside and Glendale.
Mailyan was charged with nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstructing a criminal investigation related to a healthcare offense. The sentencing date has not been set yet. A federal district court judge will decide the final sentence after reviewing the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors outlined under federal law.
