LOS ANGELES -- A former Los Angeles hospital executive convicted of a Medicare fraud scheme involving phony patients has been sentenced to two years in federal prison.

Dr. Rudra Sabaratnam was sentenced Monday and must pay more than $4.1 million in restitution.

Sabaratnam is the former co-owner and chief executive of City of Angels Medical Center.

Prosecutors say the 66-year-old Brentwood physician paid recruiters to hire homeless people off Skid Row to become patients at the hospital, where some received unnecessary treatment.

Sabaratnam then billed Medicare and Medi-Cal. He pleaded guilty to health care fraud in December 2008.

Another hospital co-owner was sentenced to three years in prison and two other men await sentencing.