FRESNO - Travis Gober, 45, of Hanford, was sentenced to 19 months in prison today for committing health care fraud and aggravated identity theft by submitting more than $1 million in fraudulent sleep study claims to Medicare, U.S. Attorney Phillip A. Talbert announced.

According to court records, Gober owned the VIP Sleep Center, which operated sleep clinics in Fresno and Tulare Counties. Sleep clinics perform diagnostic sleep studies on patients to identify disorders like sleep apnea and narcolepsy.

From October 2019 through September 2021, Gober caused the VIP Sleep Center to submit thousands of claims totaling nearly $1 million to Medicare for sleep studies that were not actually performed on patients. The claims also falsely stated that the patients had been referred for sleep studies by physicians with whom Gober had previously worked. This was done because Medicare would not pay for a sleep study unless a physician referred the patient.

Gober committed this fraud, at least in part, to try to pay off financial debts and address other financial difficulties that his brother, Jeremy Gober, had caused the VIP Sleep Center and him to incur without his knowledge or consent.

Travis Gober’s brother, Jeremy Gober, was previously charged with and has pleaded guilty to, healthcare fraud and aggravated identity theft related to other sleep clinics in the Central Valley. Jeremy Gober is scheduled to be sentenced on May 20, 2024.