This Week in McLean
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This Week in McLean

<sh>Rotary Offers Scholarship

<bt>The McLean Rotary Club is seeking individuals who demonstrate a commitment to world peace and conflict resolution, strong leadership skills, three to five years' professional experience and foreign language proficiency as candidates for Rotary International World Peace Scholarships--a two-year master's-level degree program at one of seven Rotary Centers for International Studies. More detailed information is available at the Rotary website: www.rotary.org. Interested persons, contact McLean Rotarian Dr. Ali Al-Attar at 703-578-8888.

<sh>Great Falls Players to Open

<bt>The Great Falls Players present Michael Frayn's Tony award- winning play Copenhagen opening Friday, March 4, at the Alden Theatre in McLean. The play will run though March 19 on Friday and Saturday evenings at 8 p.m. with Sunday matinees at 2 p.m.

Tickets for Great Falls Players shows, at the Alden Theatre, are available in person at the Alden Theatre Box Office (703-790-9223), or through Ticketmaster at 202-432-7328.

Prices are $14 for adults and $12 for seniors, students, or groups of 10 or more. For more information see the GFP website at http://www.gfonline.org

<sh>Great Falls Couple Sentenced

<bt>Dr. Abdorasool Janati, 58, and his wife, Forouzandeh Janati, 57, of Great Falls, operators of the Neurological Institute of Northern Virginia, were each sentenced last week in United States District Court in Alexandria to 41 months' incarceration for devising a scheme to defraud government and private health insurance plans between 1996 and 2003, according to Paul J. McNulty, United States Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia. Specifically, the Janatis inflated their invoices and billed for services not rendered. The defendants were also ordered to pay approximately $500,000 in restitution to their victims.

Dr. Janati, a neurologist, was the primary physician at the Neurological Institute of Northern Virginia, with offices in Woodbridge and Alexandria. Mrs. Janati functioned as the office manager at the Institute. The Neurological Institute operated as a health care clinic and was engaged in the business of providing neurological testing and evaluations to patients.

Many of Dr. Janati’s patients came to see him for brief office visits. Dr. and Mrs. Janati, however, caused claims to be submitted to the patients’ insurance companies which falsely indicated that Dr. Janati conducted comprehensive office visits, during which a physician performs, among other things, a comprehensive medical examination and typically spends 40 minutes face-to-face with the patients.

In addition, the Janatis caused the submission of insurance claims which falsely indicated that certain neurological procedures had been performed on patients when, in fact, such tests had not been performed. In furtherance of their scheme to defraud government and private insurance plans, the Janatis altered patient billing and medical records.

The case was investigated by the FBI, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, U.S. Postal Inspection Service Office of Inspector General, and the Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General. Assistant United States Attorneys Steve Linick and Tom McQuillan prosecuted the case for the United States.

<sh>Public Reprimand

<bt>A three-judge panel in Fairfax County Circuit Court imposed a public reprimand with terms upon attorney Bradley R. Coury, of McLean, on Feb. 25 for his handling of an immigration matter, according to a press release from the Virginia State Bar. "The judges found that Coury’s fee agreement contained ethically impermissible provisions and that he failed to deposit advanced fees in his attorney trust account, failed to account to the client for the fees he charged, and failed to provide competent representation," according to the release. Coury will have to hire a law-office management consultant and make a partial fee refund to the client under terms of the reprimand.

<sh>$25,000 Reward Offered

<bt>Tysons Corner Center announced today that the Movado store at the mall is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the individual who stole more than $200,000 in merchandise from Movado on Monday, January 29 around 6:40 p.m.

A security camera at the store captured several images of an adult black male taking items from the store safe. The images can be viewed at ShopTysons.com/movado. The man was wearing a black jacket, green shirt, and black pants at the time the larceny occurred. Although the store was open at the time, employees were engaged with customers and were not immediately aware of the theft.

Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Fairfax County Police at 703-691-2131 or Crime Solvers at 1-866-411-TIPS (8477).

<sh>Volunteers Needed for Cleanup

<bt>The Fairfax County Board of Supervisors, in conjunction with the Fairfax Watershed Network, a dedicated group of agencies and individuals that support and promote the improvement and protection of the county’s streams and watersheds, announce the 17th Annual Potomac Watershed Cleanup, to be held April 2, from 9 a.m. until noon, rain or shine. Volunteers are needed this year to help with a designated cleanup site or to organize a cleanup site in their neighborhoods.

Last year, over 3,600 volunteers across the region participated in the event and removed 162 tons of trash from 38 tributaries and shorelines of the Potomac River in three hours.The Network’s goal for this year is to double the number of registered cleanup sites in the county and increase the number of volunteers.

The cleanup, sponsored by the Alice Ferguson Foundation, a nonprofit organization that fosters environmentally responsible behavior, has grown steadily over the years. Since 1989, the foundation's cleanup has removed more than 1,000 tons of trash from the Potomac River.

People or groups willing to organize a site in their neighborhood are urged to contact the cleanup coordinator, Wende Pearson, with the Alice Ferguson Foundation at 301-292-6665, TTY 711 or visit the Web site at www.PotomacCleanup.org for site locations in need of volunteers. The foundation provides free gloves and trash bags for the cleanup sites and coaches site leaders on how to organize their site.