A Georgia hospice owner has agreed to pay $9.2 million to settle three lawsuits alleging that he violated the Anti-Kickback statute and the False Claims Act, according to a June 11 release from the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Georgia. The cases accused Mahlega Abdsharafa of Creative Hospice Care, Inc., and his affiliated companies of providing medical directors with paid kickbacks in exchange for patient referrals. 
 
Investigations into Creative Hospice Care, Inc., first began when a former employee alleged that the organization provided monthly stipends and signing bonuses to medical directors who referred patients to the agency’s care. The allegation also purported that the amount of each kickback payment increased or diminished with the number of patients referred. 
 
Two more whistleblowers followed with similar accusations. Upon settling, the whistleblowers received over $1.5 million from the settlement under a 2024 expansion of a Department of Justice initiative that provides financial incentives — including portions of resulting monetary penalties — to those who report misconduct.  
 
Because the claims were settled, government officials noted that there was “no determination of liability.”