Crimeupdated 56m ago3 min read
Archive photo · 24 October 2025Violetta Mailyan Sentenced To 15 Years For $45 Million Medicare Botox Fraud
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Violetta Mailyan sentenced to 15 years in federal prison for Medicare fraud. Billed Medicare for fake or unneeded Botox treatments totaling over $45 million.
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15 Years for Botox Fraud
A federal court sentenced California doctor Violetta Mailyan to 15 years in prison for using her medical practice to fraudulently bill Medicare more than $45 million for Botox injection services that were medically unnecessary and never provided.
The U.S. Department of Justice said Mailyan, 45, of Glendale, California, owned and operated Healthy Way Medical Center and billed and received payments for thousands of injections that were never provided, were provided only for cosmetic purposes, or were given to patients whose primary care physicians had not referred them for treatment of chronic migraines.
Prosecutors said Mailyan billed more than $19 million for purportedly provided injections on days when her clinic was closed, and they said she also billed for Botox injections while she was on vacation in Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania, and New York.
The court ordered the immediate forfeiture of over $16,029,742 worth of property seized from Mailyan and ordered her to pay $32,904,049.41 in restitution to Medicare.
The court commented that Mailyan’s fraud “was truly breathtaking in scope and shocking in its duration,” and it said her actions were “almost unbelievable in their brazenness.”
Claims, Coverups, and Travel
Prosecutors said Mailyan defrauded Medicare by billing for Botox injections she never administered, and they said Medicare reimburses providers only when Botox is necessary to treat documented cases of chronic migraines. The DOJ said Mailyan billed for thousands of Botox injections that were either never administered or were not provided for the approved medical purpose of treating chronic migraines, and it said investigators found she submitted claims for treatments that had not taken place. The case described Mailyan submitting claims for more than $19 million on days when her clinic was closed, and it said she submitted claims while traveling outside California including trips to Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania and New York.
The DOJ said Mailyan tried to hide her tracks by falsifying medical records and forging Medicare beneficiary signatures, including for a man who was in federal prison during the time she claimed to have provided treatment. The court also ordered forfeiture of more than $16 million in assets and restitution of approximately $32.9 million to Medicare, and the DOJ said it would “vigorously pursue the return of these stolen funds.”
Forfeiture, Restitution, and Fallout
The sentencing included a forfeiture order for over $16,029,742 worth of property seized from Mailyan, and the court ordered restitution to Medicare of $32,904,049.41. The DOJ said Mailyan used the proceeds of the fraud to purchase luxury goods, including a $12,000 17th century crossbow and a $3,000 painting. The reporting also said Mailyan used the Medicare proceeds to buy five California properties and two Tesla vehicles, including a Cybertruck, and it said the DOJ had previously said four of her properties had combined equity of approximately $7.3 million.
The court’s condemnation of the scheme echoed in the quoted language that her fraud “was truly breathtaking in scope and shocking in its duration,” and it said her actions were “almost unbelievable in their brazenness.” The sentencing outcome left federal authorities positioned to liquidate seized assets and pursue recovery, with the DOJ stating it would “vigorously pursue the return of these stolen funds.”