'Palliative Services' at the Community Center: Three Charged in Los Angeles Hospice Fraud Cases

Published Oct. 23, 2026. Case statuses are current as of that date.

Older adults at community centers were offered free medical services and, in many cases, illegal kickbacks. Prosecutors say the word "hospice" was avoided and "palliative services" was used instead. Many of those seniors later learned they had been enrolled in hospice care, which is meant for people expected to live six months or less, only when Medicare or their own doctor contacted them. That is the allegation in one of three Los Angeles-area hospice fraud cases the Justice Department announced on Oct. 22, 2026. Together, the three schemes allegedly billed Medicare more than $138 million [1].

Important: Charges are allegations. Every defendant named below who has not been convicted is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.

How hospice fraud schemes work

Based on the allegations summarized by the Justice Department [1]:

1. Recruiting. Marketers approach seniors, sometimes at community centers, offering free medical services and, in some cases, illegal kickbacks. In one case, marketers were allegedly paid $1,500 to $1,800 per referral.
2. Avoiding the word "hospice." Recruiters allegedly called the program "palliative services."
3. Collecting IDs. Prosecutors say photographs were taken of beneficiaries' identification and paperwork was completed outside their presence.
4. False certifications. A physician signs a certificate saying the patient is terminally ill with six months or less to live, even though the patient is not.
5. Billing for little or no care. Prosecutors say beneficiaries received little or no care even though dozens of visits were billed.
6. The tell-tale statistic. Patients who aren't dying don't die. That produces unusually high "non-death discharge" rates, which investigators look for.

Hospice enrollment matters to the patient, too. The release says some beneficiaries in one case did not know they had been placed in hospice, and that this disrupted their legitimate medical care [1].

The people charged and their status

Geoffrey Jimenez: Transitions Hospice

Geoffrey Jimenez, 60, of Los Angeles, was charged by criminal complaint with health care fraud. Prosecutors say he enrolled Medicare beneficiaries who were not terminally ill in Transitions Hospice, Inc., and billed for medically unnecessary and often unprovided services. According to the release, Transitions billed about $9.8 million and was paid more than $8.3 million. Its non-death discharge rate was roughly 85%, more than four times the national average.

The complaint alleges that Jimenez and his marketers recruited seniors at community centers. It says beneficiaries consistently reported they had never been diagnosed with the terminal conditions listed on claims.

The complaint further alleges that Jimenez controlled more than a dozen other hospice entities that together billed over $107 million in similar claims. Bank records allegedly show he received more than $444,000 in direct transfers. Prosecutors also allege fraud proceeds paid for vehicles bought or financed in a beneficiary's name without consent [1].

Armani Raffi: four Sherman Oaks hospices

Armani Raffi, 59, of Van Nuys, California, was charged by information with health care fraud. Prosecutors say the scheme ran through four interconnected hospices in Sherman Oaks: Golden Age Hospice & Palliative Care, St. Mary's Hospice & Palliative Care, CA Hospice Care and Miracle Hospice & Palliative Care.

The release says Raffi used nominee owners, falsified physician certifications and kickback-driven recruitment. It also alleges patients were cycled through the four agencies to keep billing. About $21 million in claims were submitted and more than $17.5 million was paid. Non-death discharge rates were three to five times the national average. Marketers were allegedly paid $1,500 to $1,800 per referral, sometimes with direct payments to beneficiaries. Prosecutors say proceeds paid mortgage payments on a Temecula property that is subject to forfeiture [1].

Dr. Richard Keech: medical director

Dr. Richard Keech, 83, of Torrance, California, was charged by information in a scheme that caused more than $10 million in allegedly false claims for unnecessary hospice services. Prosecutors say he was medical director for at least two hospices, Blue Cross Hospice and Atlantica Management. According to the information, he signed referrals and Certificates of Terminal Illness falsely certifying beneficiaries were terminally ill, including for people who had not chosen hospice and did not know they had been placed there [1].

The release does not say whether any of the three men has entered a plea. The FBI and HHS-OIG investigated all three cases [1].

Red flags

• "Free" medical services, home help or cash offered by someone who approaches you at a senior center, church or your door.
• A program described as "palliative" or "comfort care" when you have not been told by your own doctor that you are seriously ill.
• Someone photographing your Medicare card or ID and saying they'll "handle the paperwork."
• A sudden change in your regular care, such as a denied prescription or a doctor's office saying you are "on hospice."
• Medicare statements showing hospice charges, or a diagnosis you have never received.

What to do if you're targeted

1. Never give your Medicare number to anyone offering free services or gifts.
2. Check your claims on your Medicare Summary Notice or at Medicare.gov. If you see hospice you didn't choose, call 1-800-MEDICARE.
3. You can leave hospice. Ask the provider in writing to revoke your hospice election, and tell your regular doctor.
4. Report it to HHS-OIG at 1-800-HHS-TIPS (1-800-447-8477) and, if you're 60 or older, the DOJ Elder Justice Hotline at 1-833-372-8311.

Case status (as of Oct. 23, 2026)

Defendant	Court	Status	Source
Geoffrey Jimenez, 60, Los Angeles	Federal (C.D. Cal. prosecutors)	Charged by complaint, health care fraud; presumed innocent	[1]
Armani Raffi, 59, Van Nuys, Calif.	Federal (C.D. Cal. prosecutors)	Charged by information, health care fraud; presumed innocent	[1]
Dr. Richard Keech, 83, Torrance, Calif.	Federal (C.D. Cal. and DOJ Fraud Division prosecutors)	Charged by information; presumed innocent	[1]

Those not convicted are presumed innocent. Statuses can change.

Sources

1. U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs, "Los Angeles Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in Charges Against 15 Defendants, Including 6 Medical Professionals, Nearly $2 Billion in Loss," Oct. 22, 2026. https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/los-angeles-health-care-fraud-takedown-results-charges-against-15-defendants-including-6

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