Guilty plea in Los Angeles skid row health fraud

A Los Angeles man who recruited homeless people from skid row as medical patients as part of a scheme to defraud government health programs of millions of dollars has agreed to plead guilty to federal charges. Estill Mitts, 64, agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, money laundering, and tax evasion in a plea agreement. Mitts was arrested Aug. 6 along with Rudra Sabaratnam, MD, an owner of City of Angels Medical Center. They were arrested as federal officials raided three hospitals in Los Angeles and Orange counties and made public a 21-count indictment that accuses the pair of healthcare fraud and receiving illegal cutbacks.