Former Rochester CEO Indicted On Multiple Charges For Defrauding His Own Company

BUFFALO, N.Y. - U.S. Attorney James P. Kennedy, Jr. announced today that a federal grand jury has returned a 15-count indictment charging Michael Margiotta, 48, of Rochester, NY, with wire fraud, money laundering, and filing a false tax return. The charges carry a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.

Assistant U.S. Attorney John J. Field, who is handling the case, stated that according to the indictment, between May 2011 and January 2014, the defendant was Chief Executive Officer of eHealth Global Technologies, Inc. As eHealth CEO, Margiotta entered into a contract with Healthcare Network Alliance, LLC (HCNA) for employment recruiting services. According to the contract, HCNA received a fee totaling 20% of an eHealth employee’s base salary for the first year for each employee referred by HCNA and hired by eHealth. The defendant caused HCNA to issue fraudulent invoices to eHealth and then directed subordinate employees at eHealth to pay the invoices.

In addition, Margiotta caused an individual, identified as Consultant A, to submit fraudulent invoices to eHealth for services actually provided to an unrelated entity known as Action Against Child Maltreatment, Inc. (AACM) that Margiotta controlled. Once again, the defendant directed subordinate employees at eHealth to pay the invoices.

In total, the defendant caused eHealth to pay approximately $455,000 in false and fraudulent invoices. A substantial portion of those funds were transferred into Margiotta’s personal brokerage accounts.

Furthermore, for the tax years 2011-2014, on his personal income tax returns, the defendant falsely overstated his business expenses and/or understated his business income, among other misstatements, and as a result, he evaded approximately $341,000 in taxes owed to the United States. Margiotta also filed false tax returns for his charity, AACM, for tax years 2013-2014, in order to conceal the improper transfer of $80,000 of AACM’s assets to himself.

The defendant was arraigned before U.S. Magistrate Judge Marian W. Payson and was released on conditions.

The indictment is the culmination of an investigation by the Internal Revenue Service, Criminal Investigations Division, under the direction of Jonathan D. Larsen, Acting Special Agent-in-Charge, New York Field Office.

The fact that a defendant has been charged with a crime is merely an accusation and the defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.