Owner Of Allergy Lab Pleads Guilty To Faking Allergy Test Results

ATLANTA - Rahsaan Jackson Garth has pleaded guilty to a charge of health care fraud for faking the results of allergy tests that patients’ doctors had ordered.

“Garth put his own greed above the health and safety of citizens,” said United States Attorney Sally Quillian Yates. “This defendant seriously endangered the lives of children and adults in Atlanta when he faked their allergy test results and misled their doctors.”

“Such reckless conduct cannot be tolerated” said Derrick L. Jackson, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Inspector General in Atlanta.  “The blatant disregard for potential patient harm is inexcusable, especially when many of the patients affected were children and the elderly.  Today’s plea demonstrates the OIG’s commitment to bringing to justice those who put profit before patient safety.”

According to United States Attorney Yates, the charges and other information presented in court: The defendant, Rahsaan Jackson Garth, a/k/a/ R. Jackson Garth, opened an allergy laboratory in 2011, named Polaris Allergy Labs, Inc.  Polaris Allergy Labs, Inc. was located in East Point, Ga.  Doctors would send their patients’ blood samples to Polaris Allergy Labs, Inc. to be tested for food and environmental allergies.  Beginning in approximately September 2012, and continuing through February 2014, Garth directed his allergy laboratory technician not to actually test some of the blood samples for allergens.  Garth ordered his technician not to test the blood in order to save money by not using the allergen reagents necessary for testing.  Instead of testing the blood, Garth would create fake allergy test result reports for the patients.  Then he would have the fake test result reports sent back to the patients’ doctors.  

Sometimes Garth created results showing no allergic reaction, and other times he created results showing an allergic reaction, in order to avoid raising the suspicions of the doctors to whom he sent fake test result reports. The patients’ doctors were unaware that Garth was sending them fake allergy test results for their patients. 

After creating a fake allergy test report for a patient, Garth would then cause a bill to be submitted to the patient's health care benefit program, even though no service had in fact been provided.

The sentencing for Garth, a/k/a R. Jackson Garth, 39, of Marietta, Ga., has not yet been scheduled.

This case is being investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services.

Assistant United States Attorney Mary L. Webb is prosecuting the case.

For further information please contact the U.S. Attorney’s Public Affairs Office at USAGAN.PressEmails@usdoj.gov or (404) 581-6016.  The Internet address for the home page for the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia Atlanta Division is http://www.justice.gov/usao/gan/.