An anti-fraud expert who worked as a senior manager of privacy and security at Santa Clara computer chip titan NVIDIA has been charged with felony fraud, the Santa Clara County District Attorney’s office announced Friday.
Faranak Firozan, 47, of San Jose is alleged to have submitted more than 167 fraudulent healthcare claims totaling more than $100,000 to NVIDIA’s health plan.
Firozan regularly spoke as an expert on fraud prevention, the DA’s office said in a news release.
Many of the claims Firozan allegedly submitted to the NVIDIA health plan administered by Cigna between late 2020 and early 2024 were “entirely made up,” the DA’s office claimed.
“It’s crucial for everyone, especially those who are experts in fraud prevention, to uphold the same standards they promote,” District Attorney Jeff Rosen said.
Firozan could not immediately be reached for comment. It was unclear Friday whether she had a lawyer representing her in the case. NVIDIA did not immediately respond to questions about Firozan, and it was not clear whether she was still with the company.
California’s insurance department last August received from Cigna a suspected fraudulent claim by Firozan, the DA’s office said. She had been flagged earlier by Cigna in October 2023 “after she submitted a large amount of reimbursement claims in one month,” the DA’s office said.
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A joint investigation between the DA’s office and the insurance department allegedly found that Firozan had altered bills by changing dates, and often fabricated entire documents. Health care providers confirmed to investigators that the health care services listed in her claims “were either not performed at all or were duplicated claims,” the DA’s office said.
California Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara noted that insurance fraud drives up costs for consumers. “When someone entrusted with preventing fraud is accused of committing it, that betrayal must be met with accountability,” Lara said in the news release.
If convicted, Firozan could face years in prison, plus restitution of allegedly ill-gotten gains.