Katie Duda got a bill from a lab she had never heard of. The $500 charge from Niyraa LLC showed up on an Explanation of Benefits letter from her insurer, Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas. She had no idea what it was for. So she did what anyone would do: she tracked the lab down.
What she found was a strip center in Crystal Lake, Illinois, where a sign on the door directed people to drop off mail inside. The door was unlocked. Inside, the office appeared vacant. Thousands of pieces of mail sat in U.S. Postal Service bins on the front desk, mostly from various Blue Cross Blue Shield entities.
CBS News Chicago visited the office five times over several months and saw the same thing each time. The mail later moved to the back of the office, stuffed in growing piles of black and white garbage bags. The name “Mohammed I Quadri” was plastered across the lab’s signage outside, inside, and on current lab certifications framed on the walls.
Nobody answered the door.
Who Is Mohammed Quadri?
The lab’s signage, inside and out, bears his name. Current lab certifications framed on the walls also carry his name. Brittany Serby, who owns the Functional Wellness Clinic a few storefronts down, said she has never seen Quadri and finds the situation troubling.
The mall owner said he hasn’t seen Quadri in months, but Quadri still pays the rent. Attempts to reach Quadri via email, text, phone calls, and visiting addresses tied to him all failed. Waiting outside the office during official business hours turned up nothing.
James Scordo, a certified fraud examiner and forensic accountant, inspected the office and called the situation a potential fraud scheme. He believes the setup could involve phantom billing, in which Blue Cross Blue Shield pays Quadri for services patients never received.
The Mail That Refuses To Leave
The Postal Service Inspector General confirmed an investigation is underway. But steps to protect the mail had not been taken for months, as the mail was always present when checked. The FBI told CBS News Chicago it alerted local law enforcement and sanitary crews so they knew about the mail in case someone threw it away.
Photos from neighboring business owners show garbage bags stuffed with mail were removed within the past couple of weeks. More mail had since been dropped off on the front desk.
As recently as Sept. 16, no mail was visible from the outside. The door remained unlocked. The sign inviting people to drop off mail was still taped to the door.
What Blue Cross Blue Shield Says
Blue Cross Blue Shield declined to comment on any provider relationships when contacted. The insurer has not explained what services, if any, were billed to patients through Niyraa LLC.
That silence matters. If Scordo is right and this is phantom billing, the patients may not realize their insurer is being billed incorrectly for services they didn’t get. The lab’s certifications are framed on the walls, but nobody can verify who signed them or whether they are current.
A Business Owner’s Concern
Serby expressed concern that no action appears to be taken against the office. Her clinic sits nearby. She sees the mail piling up. She sees the empty sign directing people inside. And she has never seen the man whose name covers the building.
Her worry is simple: what happens to the people who dropped off that mail? What happens to the patients who paid for services they never received? What happens to the insurer that keeps paying for bills it has not verified?
What Happens Next
The investigation is ongoing. The inspector general’s office is involved. Law enforcement has been alerted. The sanitary crews know about the mail.
But the door remains unlocked. The sign remains taped to the wall. The mail keeps arriving. And Mohammed Quadri remains unreachable.
Comparing The Players
| Player | Role | Known Response |
|---|---|---|
| Mohammed I Quadri | Named on lab signage and certifications | Unreachable by email, text, phone, or in person |
| Brittany Serby | Owner of Functional Wellness Clinic nearby | Has never seen Quadri; finds the situation troubling |
| Blue Cross Blue Shield of Texas | Insurer paying the bills | Declined to comment on provider relationships |
| James Scordo | Certified fraud examiner | Called the situation a potential fraud scheme |
| Postal Service Inspector General | Investigating the situation | Confirmed an investigation is underway |
Timeline Of Visits
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Multiple visits over several months | CBS News Chicago visits the office five times |
| Recent photos from neighbors | Garbage bags of mail removed within the past couple of weeks |
| Sept. 16 | No mail visible from outside; sign still taped to door |
| Ongoing | Inspector General’s investigation continues |
The Empty Office
The Crystal Lake medical office is full of unopened mail, but no employees. The door is unlocked. The sign directs people inside. And the man whose name covers the building cannot be reached.
Scordo’s theory is that Quadri is collecting payments for services that never happened. The patients may never know. The insurer has declined to explain itself. And the mail keeps coming.
The story is not over. The investigation is ongoing. The door remains unlocked. And the name on the wall remains unanswered.
Source material: “Why is a Crystal Lake medical office full of unopened mail, but no employees?,” CBS News.
Get the Notebook.
The day's best stories and every fresh verdict, in plain English, in your inbox by seven. One email a day, no more.