Former Nvidia fraud-security manager charged in health care scheme

A former senior manager with chip-making giant Nvidia has been charged with felony fraud in a years-long scheme targeting the company's health plan, according to the Santa Clara County District Attorney's Office.

Faranak Firozan, 47, a San Jose fraud prevention expert, submitted 167 fraudulent claims for over $100,000 against Nvidia's health plan over a more than three-year span, the DA's Office said.

Firozan faces numerous felony counts, including altering medical records with fraudulent intent and preparing false statements in connection with insurance claims, the DA said. She also is charged with a white-collar crime enhancement.

Firozan is scheduled to be arraigned July 15 at the Hall of Justice in San Jose. If convicted, she could be sentenced to years in prison and ordered to pay restitution.

Firozan was a senior manager of privacy and security at Santa Clara-based Nvidia and also served as an expert speaker on fraud prevention, the DA said. She made the fraudulent claims between November 2020 and January 2024 to Nvidia's self-insured health plan, administered by Cigna.

The California Department of Insurance in August 2024 received a suspected fraudulent claim referral from Cigna. Firozan had been flagged previously in Cigna’s system in October 2023 after she submitted a large amount of reimbursement claims in one month, the DA said. Many of the claims featured handwritten codes.

Firozan is accused of altering bills by changing service dates and often fabricating entire documents. Providers verified that services listed in her claims were either not performed at all or were duplicated claims, the DA said.