Glendale Botox Doctor Sentenced to 15 Years in $45 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme

Violetta Mailyan, a 45-year-old Glendale doctor, was sentenced on Thursday to 15 years in federal prison for fraudulently billing Medicare more than $45 million for Botox injections that were medically unnecessary or never provided, Los Angeles Times reported.

The 45 Million Dollar Medical Fraud Scheme in Glendale

Mailyan owned and operated Healthy Way Medical Center, a clinic that purported to provide beauty and cosmetic services in Glendale, California. According to court documents and evidence presented during her trial, Mailyan billed Medicare for thousands of Botox injections that were never administered to patients, or were given strictly for cosmetic purposes without primary care physician referrals for chronic migraines. Prosecutors detailed that Mailyan submitted claims representing over $19 million for injections purportedly provided on days when her clinic was closed entirely.

Federal investigators from the Office of Inspector General and the FBI uncovered that the doctor billed for services while she was traveling across the country and abroad. The Department of Justice stated that Mailyan billed for providing Botox injections when she was actually on vacation in Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, and New York. For example, prosecutors noted she billed over $200,000 for services purportedly rendered in California while relaxing on the beach in Cabo, Mexico.

When federal investigators began closing in on the operation, Mailyan attempted to obstruct the healthcare offense investigation. Evidence showed she falsified medical records and forged Medicare beneficiary signatures. This included forging documentation for a man who was actually incarcerated in federal prison during the exact time Mailyan claimed to have treated him.

Fraud Proceeds Funded Lavish Lifestyle and Art

The six-day jury trial ending in May 2026 resulted in Mailyan’s conviction on nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstruction of a criminal investigation. Prosecutors established that the fraudulent Medicare proceeds directly funded a lavish personal lifestyle and extravagant asset acquisitions.

Trial evidence revealed that Mailyan used the stolen funds to buy a $12,000 17th-century crossbow and a $3,000 painting. The convicting jury also determined that several major assets were direct proceeds of the fraud and subject to immediate government seizure. The court ordered the immediate forfeiture of more than $16 million in seized property, which includes real estate, personal property, and securities. The forfeited assets encompass a Tesla Cybertruck, four properties in Surfside and Glendale valued at over $7 million total, and bank and brokerage accounts.

In addition to the 15-year prison sentence and property forfeitures, the court ordered Mailyan to pay $32,904,049.41 in restitution to Medicare.

Court Calls Mailyan's Fraud Breathtaking and Brazen

In handing down the sentence, the presiding court remarked that Mailyan’s fraud was truly breathtaking in scope and shocking in its duration, adding that her actions were almost unbelievable in their brazenness.

The case was prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Sandor Callahan and Jeffrey A. Crapko of the Fraud Division’s Health Care Fraud Section, with asset forfeiture matters handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Tara Vavere. The prosecution aligns with broader federal initiatives, following the Department of Justice’s April 7 announcement regarding the creation of its Fraud Division, which operates alongside the Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program to target waste and abuse within federal benefit programs.