UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ANKITA SINGH - Articles

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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA v. ANKITA SINGH

Posted by: Azya Thornton on Aug 8, 2025

Court: 6th Circuit Court (Published Opinions)

Attorneys 1: ARGUED: Andrew P. Lemens, WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellant.

Attorneys 2: ARGUED: Matthew B. Kall, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Cleveland, Ohio, for Appellee.

Attorneys 3: ON BRIEF: Andrew P. Lemens, Amy Mason Saharia, Clayton P. Phillips, Jason Howell Clayton, WILLIAMS & CONNOLLY LLP, Washington, D.C., for Appellant.

Attorneys 4: ON BRIEF: Matthew B. Kall, UNITED STATES ATTORNEY’S OFFICE, Cleveland, Ohio, for Appellee.

Judge(s): CLAY, GILMAN, and BLOOMEKATZ, Circuit Judges

Court Appealed: United States District Court for the Northern District of Ohio at Toledo

RONALD LEE GILMAN, Circuit Judge. A jury found Dr. Ankita Singh guilty on six counts of healthcare fraud, in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 1347. On appeal, Singh argues that the district court committed three reversible errors. First, she argues that the court incorrectly instructed the jury on the meaning of the word “willfully” in the healthcare-fraud statute. She next contends that the court abused its discretion by excluding exculpatory statements made by Singh to an insurance-company investigator that reflected her then-existing state of mind. Finally, Singh argues that the court abused its discretion by allowing lay witnesses to testify that a provider must personally examine a patient in order to determine the medical necessity for certain prescribed equipment. We find merit in all three of Singh’s arguments. And because these errors were not harmless, we VACATE Singh’s convictions and REMAND for further proceedings consistent with this opinion.

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