A Rockville man has been indicted by a federal grand jury for his alleged role in a COVID-19 fraud scheme that reportedly involved more than $100 million in false claims submitted to government and private health insurers. Marc Aaron Potash, 57, faces charges including conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, multiple counts of healthcare fraud, and conducting transactions in criminally derived proceeds, according to the U.S. attorney’s office for Maryland.
The indictment alleges that between January 2022 and May 2026, Potash conspired to profit personally and on behalf of Tiero LLC, a Gaithersburg-based company he founded and led as chief executive officer. The scheme involved submitting fraudulent claims for self-administered COVID-19 tests to Medicare, Medicaid, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, and other insurers.
Prosecutors contend that Potash and his co-conspirators submitted false documents to the Maryland Department of Health to obtain a Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendments (CLIA) certification for Tiero. The paperwork falsely represented that licensed medical providers were performing on-site COVID-19 testing at the company’s facilities. This certification was then used to bill insurers for testing services.
In reality, the indictment states that Tiero shipped over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits to insured individuals nationwide and claimed reimbursement for more than $100 million in testing services. These fraudulent claims allegedly resulted in insurance payments exceeding $50 million to the company.
Authorities further allege that Potash used proceeds from the scheme to make substantial personal purchases, including a Range Rover, a Mercedes-Benz, real estate valued at $4 million in Beallsville, Maryland, and security transfers totaling over $12 million.
If convicted, Potash faces up to 10 years in federal prison on each count of conspiracy, healthcare fraud, and handling criminally derived funds. However, federal sentencing guidelines often result in terms shorter than the statutory maximum. The case is part of broader federal efforts to investigate and prosecute fraud related to the COVID-19 pandemic and associated government relief programs.