Philadelphia Business Journal by John George, Senior Reporter

Ivan Tkach, 30, of Philadelphia was sentenced today to 46 months in prison for his role in a scheme to defraud Medicare and the U.S. government.

Tkach, according to the U.S. Attorney’s office, pleaded guilty Jan. 10, 2012, to giving false statements in his application for reinstatement to the Medicare program in 2009, and paid illegal kickbacks to a secretary at Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine - all in relation to a private ambulance company’s involvement in the health-care fraud scheme.

Tkach was indicted along with his boss Ilya Sivchuk, who was convicted by a jury in November 2011.

Tkach, the U.S. Attorney’s office said, was excluded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2004 from providing services under the Medicare program due to his prior criminal convictions, yet he continued to operate Advantage Ambulance Co. and drive patients in ambulances. Tkach, according to the charges, ran Advantage with the knowledge of Sivchuk, who also made false statements regarding the nature of Tkach’s employment to federal agents. In addition, Tkach gave kickback payments in 2008 to a worker at a Philadelphia kidney dialysis center in exchange for patient referrals to Advantage.