The founder of an area health care clinic is headed to prison for orchestrating a fraud that netted her more than $6 million over three years.
Sandra Haar, 59, of Merced, was sentenced on Monday by U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O’Neil to five years in prison and ordered to pay $6,107,846 in restitution for health care fraud and conspiracy to receive kickbacks, U.S. Attorney McGregor W. Scott announced. Haar was ordered to self-surrender on Jan. 15, 2020, to begin serving her sentence.
Haar was the founder and chief executive officer of Horisons Unlimited, a nonprofit public benefit corporation that provided health and dental services in Merced, Madera and Stanislaus counties.
According to court documents, between Jan. 1, 2014, and March 2017, Haar orchestrated a scheme to bill Medicare and Medi-Cal for services she knew were not reimbursable and she profited by over $3.7 million from her fraud. For example, Haar billed Medi‑Cal for health and dental services that were not rendered and for unnecessary health care services.
Source: Health care clinic founder convicted of fraud / Turlock Journal