455 Charged in Major Health Care Fraud Takedown; Officials Cite “Historic” Cooperation
455 people were charged in a coordinated takedown of health care fraud suspects in the United States and overseas, collectively called the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. That includes 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals.
Federal law enforcement says the “whole-of-government approach” resulted in those 455 defendants being charged. The defendants are accused of participating in various health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes. The Department of Justice (DOJ) says the schemes involved over $6.5 billion in false claims with some causing significant patient harm, including death.
DOJ says the cases represent a “new era in federal, state, and international cooperation” with cases filed in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories. In addition, international law enforcement returned wanted fugitives in Estonia, the Philippines, and Cyprus.
“This announcement marks the greatest combined federal and state effort in combating health care fraud in history,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche.
“We are aggressively scaling our offensive against anyone using health care as a front to steal from the American people,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of DOJ’s National Fraud Enforcement Division.
Among the cases:
The vice president of sales at an Arizona company who allegedly billed Medicare over $4 billion for medically unnecessary allografts. Prosecutors say the defendant personally pocketed $24 million used to buy luxury homes, insurance policies, vehicles, and watches.
A Texas nurse practitioner was charged for a $906 million scheme in which she applied medically unnecessary allografts and billed Medicare more than $1 million per patient on average. Law enforcement seized a $30 million bank account as well as 8 luxury vehicles, and jewelry.
In California, a hospice owner and two marketers were charged for a $27.7 million Medicare fraud scheme. Prosecutors say the suspects paid off an employee from a funeral home for information on the recently deceased and then billed Medicare for hospice care which never occurred.
In New York, eight defendants are accused in a $38 million Medicaid scheme for social adult day care services that were not necessary and never provided, procured by kickbacks.
36 defendants, including 28 licensed medical professionals, were charged for illegal diversion of prescription opioids and other controlled substances that resulted in patient harm.
The Takedown was led and coordinated by the DOJ's Health Care Fraud Unit. Core partners include U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Medicaid Fraud Control Units (MFCUs) across the country.
The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams, 56 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and 45 State Attorneys General’s Offices nationwide.
