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Submission + - Indian H1B Scammers Found Guilty In Multi-Million Dollar Fraud In Pennsylvania (zerohedge.com)

schwit1 writes: A federal jury in Philadelphia has delivered a resounding guilty verdict against two Pennsylvania brothers and a longtime associate, convicting them of masterminding one of the most elaborate and prolonged racketeering operations uncovered in recent years. The scheme, which prosecutors say drained more than $32 million from Pennsylvania's Medicaid program while exploiting vulnerable foreign workers through the H-1B visa system, spanned over a decade and involved layers of deception across multiple states.

At the center of the criminal enterprise — self-dubbed the “Savani Group” — were brothers Bhaskar Savani, 60, a trained dentist from Ambler, Pennsylvania, and Arun Savani, 58, from Blue Bell, Pennsylvania. Bhaskar controlled the groups extensive network of dental practices, while Arun oversaw finances and real estate holdings. Together, they built what U.S. Attorney David Metcalf described as a “complex web” of sham entities and fraudulent operations, amassing tens of millions through outright fraud “at every turn.”

A third defendant, Aleksandra “Ola” Radomiak, 48, of Lansdale, Pennsylvania—a longtime associate—was also convicted for her role, primarily in the healthcare fraud components.

The multi-faceted conspiracy encompassed several interlocking schemes:
  • Visa fraud and worker exploitation: The group filed numerous false H-1B visa petitions with the U.S. Department of Labor and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. These applications misrepresented job titles, duties, and other details to bring in foreign workers—most from India—who were dependent on the Savani Group for their legal status. Once employed, many were coerced into kicking back portions of their salaries and paying additional fees back to the enterprise, creating a captive, underpaid workforce.
  • Healthcare fraud against Medicaid: After the Savani Group's legitimate dental practices lost their Medicaid contracts due to prior issues, the conspirators pivoted to using nominee-owned shell entities and sham dental practices. They fraudulently billed Pennsylvania Medicaid in the names of non-treating dentists for services that were either unnecessary, never performed, or grossly inflated. This alone resulted in over $32 million in improper payments, robbing taxpayers and depriving the healthcare system of vital resources.
  • Money laundering and tax evasion: Proceeds from the fraud were funneled through a sophisticated network of financial transactions, including concealment and transactional money laundering. The group also conspired to defraud the U.S. Treasury via wire fraud tied to false tax returns.
  • Obstruction of justice: When federal investigators closed in, the conspirators actively obstructed a grand jury probe.

The convictions, handed down on March 9, 2026, after a lengthy trial, covered a sweeping array of charges under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations (RICO) Act and related statutes.

The brothers now face severe penalties: Bhaskar Savani up to 420 years in federal prison, and Arun Savani up to 415 years. Sentencing is scheduled for July 2026.

Submission + - Coral reef discovered off Naples (independent.co.uk)

davidone writes: A large white coral reef containing important species and fossil traces has been discovered at a depth of more than 500 metres in the Gulf of Naples, in a rare discovery for the Mediterranean, the Italian Research Council (CNR) said on Friday.

Comment Re:Not the first rodeo with this (Score 1) 162

One of the biggest problems in American education is that teachers have to teach 30 students with different learning styles at the same time.

At some point that is pretty much an irreducible problem.

What if the students were in virtual classrooms (using VR headsets)? Each student would "jack into" the classroom with the teaching style that works best for them.

Comment try a game that has you in a cockpit (Score 2) 67

DK2 rocks for any game with a cockpit -- space sims, driving sims, and some Mech Warrior like games.

FPS'... no so much. It's real easy to get queasy (for me anyway, YMMV). I'm hoping this becomes less of an issue over time but since there are other experiences out there that really excel with the Rift I'm not too concerned.

Oculus also has to come up with an standardize input system to enable more complex experiences. Something that is also positionally tracked (like the headset it) would be ideal since once you have your headset and headphones on fishing around for your mouse/keyboard or game controller is a pain.

Comment Not necessarily "crack pot" (Score 2) 205

During George W. Bush's first term, prior to the invasion of Iraq, Charles Rangel introduced a bill to reinstate the draft. While Rangel probably should have retired a few years ago I think this was a good move even if it amounted to nothing...


The New York Democrat told reporters his goal is two-fold: to jolt Americans into realizing the import of a possible unilateral strike against Iraq, which he opposes, and "to make it clear that if there were a war, there would be more equitable representation of people making sacrifices."


"I truly believe that those who make the decision and those who support the United States going into war would feel more readily the pain that's involved, the sacrifice that's involved, if they thought that the fighting force would include the affluent and those who historically have avoided this great responsibility," Rangel said.

Submission + - Oculus Rift Developer Kit 2 Ready for Pre-order Today for $350 (roadtovr.com)

An anonymous reader writes: Today at GDC Oculus has revealed the second developer kit of their virtual reality headset, the Oculus Rift DK2 (http://bit.ly/1fHtuHf). The new unit has a 1080p OLED screen with low-persistence capabilities, positional tracking thanks to an IR LED array and compatible camera, and a bunch of other improvements over the DK1. Pre-orders start today for $350 (https://www.oculusvr.com/order/) and are expected to ship in July.

Comment Re:Tame and lame (Score 1) 692

I'm not sure who gave you that reason but it's not the one I heard.

http://www.nashuatelegraph.com/news/969523-196/city-inevitably-must-replace-unique-triangular-manhole.html

The triangular covers were first built by the Nashua Foundry in the 1920s or 1930s at the suggestion of an engineer named Walter Ellis, who thought the triangular shape would rattle less than traditional circles. The triangles are aligned to point in the direction of flow for the underlying sewer line, a valuable piece of information for sewer workers hunting down problems.

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