Ex-California doctor convicted in weight-loss insurance scam

LOS ANGELES (AP) — A former Southern California doctor has been convicted of falsely billing military and private insurers $355 million for weight-loss surgeries. Julian Omidi of West Hollywood and his Beverly Hills-based company were convicted Thursday of wire and mail fraud, money laundering and other crimes. A second physician was acquitted. Prosecutors say Omidi and his relatives controlled the now-defunct 1-800-GET-THIN business that promoted and performed lap-band surgeries. They contend that he arranged unnecessary sleep apnea studies and sometimes falsified the study results so insurers would preapprove the surgeries. The U.S. attorney’s office says $355 million in claims were submitted and insurers paid out about $70 million. Omidi could face up to 20 years in federal prison.