Crime & JusticeBreakingUpdated 2 hr ago

Doctor sentenced to 15 years for $45 million Medicare fraud involving Botox claims

Coverage spectrum

Covered by 3 outlets, mostly right-leaning (67%).

3 articles in total. The spectrum counts each outlet once and leaves opinion out. How we measure bias

Image via United Press InternationalHow images are chosen Report this image

Violetta Mailyan, 45, of Glendale, California, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison, according to prosecutors and the Justice Department. Prosecutors said she billed Medicare more than $45 million through her Healthy Way Medical Center clinic for Botox injections that were unnecessary, cosmetic or never given. Prosecutors also said more than $19 million of the claims were for injections supposedly given on days the clinic was closed, and that some claims were submitted while she was traveling. A jury convicted Mailyan in May on nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstruction of a criminal investigation, according to the Justice Department. Coverage describes assets bought with the money, including real estate and cars, but the amounts vary between accounts and are not confirmed here.

Headline and summary written by Mantle’s AI from the coverage below, under published rules. How this works

New to Mantle? It shows who is covering each story across the political spectrum, and highlights loaded words. How to read a storyHide the guide

The coverage spectrum counts the outlets covering a story at each of five points. A short or missing segment means that part of the spectrum is mostly quiet.

Governor Loaded verb“slams”It adds drama to what was said. The governor criticized the lawmakers; “slams” makes it sound like a fight.More neutral: criticizes lawmakers over budget delay

Highlights mark words that carry a judgement. Tap one to see why, and what a neutral writer would say. Here it is “criticizes”.

The 5-point spectrum

Far Left
Voices that strongly advocate for progressive policies and systemic change.
Left
Mainstream liberal perspectives focusing on social equality and regulation.
Center
Sources that prioritize neutral reporting and balanced viewpoints.
Right
Mainstream conservative perspectives focusing on market freedom and tradition.
Far Right
Voices that strongly advocate for conservative values and limited government.

How we measure bias

What happened

Key points

Each point shows who reports it, from Far Left to Far Right.

Violetta Mailyan, 45, of Glendale, California, was sentenced to 15 years in federal prison.
Reported byCenter1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Center
United Press International
Right
New York Post, Daily Mail
Prosecutors said she billed Medicare more than $45 million for Botox injections that were unnecessary, cosmetic or never given.
Reported byCenter1Right2See the outletsHide the outlets
Center
United Press International
Right
New York Post, Daily Mail
Prosecutors said more than $19 million of the claims were for injections supposedly given on days her clinic was closed.
Reported byCenter1Right1See the outletsHide the outlets
Center
United Press International
Right
New York Post
A jury convicted Mailyan in May on nine counts of wire fraud and three counts of obstruction of a criminal investigation, according to the Justice Department.
One outletDaily Mail· Right

How each side tells it

Compare views

Sources on both sides report that Violetta Mailyan was sentenced to 15 years for billing Medicare over $45 million for Botox treatments that were unnecessary, cosmetic or never given. The center headline gives the sentence and fraud total, while right-side headlines lead with luxury homes, cars and vacations.

the left
No coverage yet
No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.
the center
1 outlet
Headline states the sentence and the $45 million Medicare fraud in plain terms, without the spending details the right-side headlines lead with.
Calif. Botox doctor gets 15 years for $45 million Medicare fraud
United Press InternationalCenterAll center headlines
the right
2 outlets
Headlines lead with luxury spending and vacations funded by the fraud, with the NY Post calling the doctor crooked and the Daily Mail stressing homes, cars and collectibles.
LA botox doctor learns fate for $45M Medicare scheme that funded luxury vacations
New York PostRightAll right-leaning headlines

The words they chose

Language to notice

Words that carry a judgement beyond the facts. Tap a highlighted word anywhere on the page to see why.

Left
Has not covered this story.
Center0
No loaded words in its own voice.
Right5
ripped offjaw-droppingstaggering scammassive

In the outlets’ own words

Loaded verb
ripped offMore neutral: billed
The phrase is informal and adds a judgement of intent beyond the reported fraud.
A crooked California doctor who ripped off Medicare for more than $45 million to bankroll luxury vacations, expensive cars, and…
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
jaw-droppingMore neutral: $12,000
The adjective manufactures drama about the crossbow purchase rather than reporting its price.
…for more than $45 million to bankroll luxury vacations, expensive cars, and a jaw-dropping $12,000 antique crossbow is finally facing serious prison time.
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
staggering scamMore neutral: fraud
The phrase adds an evaluation of scale that the dollar figure already conveys.
The staggering scam wasn’t just about bogus paperwork.
Used byNew York Post (Right)
Sensational language
massive
The adjective adds emphasis beyond the reported $45 million total, which the headline already states.
Doctor, 45, who committed massive Medicare fraud stealing more than $45million and splashing the cash on…
Used byDaily Mail (Right)

Show 1 more phrasesShow fewer

Loaded verb
splashing the cashMore neutral: spent
The phrase implies extravagant and careless spending as a judgement of the doctor's conduct.
…45, who committed massive Medicare fraud stealing more than $45million and splashing the cash on multimillion-dollar homes, cars and collectibles is jailed for 15 years
Used byDaily Mail (Right)

See the full language guide

See for yourself

Side by side

What each side leads with and what it leaves out. Open a side to read its headlines.

From the left

0 outlets

No left-leaning outlet that Mantle follows has covered this story yet. That absence is part of the picture.

From the center

1 outlet

Leads with

15-year sentence
$45 million Medicare total
Botox claims for treatments never given or unnecessary
billing while traveling

See the headline from the centerHide the headlines

United Press InternationalCenter
Calif. Botox doctor gets 15 years for $45 million Medicare fraud
A California doctor who fraudulently billed Medicare $45 million for Botox injections while she was vacationing was sentenced to 15 years in prison.
6 hr agoRead at United Press International (opens in a new tab)

From the right

2 outlets

Leads with

Luxury spending and vacations
Size of the scam
15-year prison sentence

See the 2 headlines from the rightHide the headlines

Daily MailRight
Doctor, 45, who committed Sensational language“massive”The adjective adds emphasis beyond the reported $45 million total, which the headline already states.Disagree with this highlight? Medicare fraud stealing more than $45million and Loaded verb“splashing the cash”The phrase implies extravagant and careless spending as a judgement of the doctor's conduct.More neutral: spentDisagree with this highlight? on multimillion-dollar homes, cars and collectibles is jailed for 15 years
The California doctor billed for providing the injections when she was actually on vacation in Mexico, Hawaii, Las Vegas, Pennsylvania and New York at different times, prosecutors said.
2 hr agoRead at Daily Mail (opens in a new tab)
New York PostRight
LA botox doctor learns fate for $45M Medicare scheme that funded luxury vacations
Evidence presented at trial showed more than $19 million in claims involved Botox injections supposedly performed on days when the clinic was closed.
1 day agoRead at New York Post (opens in a new tab)

The stories you read build My Mix, a private picture of which sides cover the stories you choose, kept on this device. What is My Mix?

The left is Far Left and Left together. The right is Right and Far Right together. Every outlet keeps its own five-point rating.

Who reported it when

How the coverage built up

Left
No report yet
From the outlets Mantle follows
Center
1 day 1 hr later
Its first report, Oct 31, 10:34 PM EDT
Right
First to report
New York Post, Oct 30, 9:22 PM EDT

See the order the outlets reported inHide the order

New York PostRightOct 30, 9:22 PM EDT
United Press InternationalCenterOct 31, 10:34 PM EDT
Daily MailRightNov 1, 1:56 AM EDT

Times are the ones the outlets published in their own feeds, in Eastern time. Opinion is left out.

Doctor sentenced to 15 years for $45 million Medicare fraud involving Botox claims

Coverage spectrum

Key points

Compare views

the left

the center

the right

Language to notice

In the outlets’ own words

Side by side

From the left

From the center

Calif. Botox doctor gets 15 years for $45 million Medicare fraud

From the right

LA botox doctor learns fate for $45M Medicare scheme that funded luxury vacations

How the coverage built up

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