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Newest first across public DOJ and U.S. Attorney press releases.
Tuesday 23 June 2026
Middletown Man Pleads Guilty to Operating Unlawful Money Transmitting BusinessRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and P.J. O’Brien, Special Agent in Charge of the New Haven Division of the Federal Bureau of Investigation, today announced that HABROON HABIB, 30, a citizen of Pakistan and lawful permanent resident of the U.S. residing in Middletown, waived his right to be indicted and pleaded guilty yesterday in Bridgeport federal court to operating an unlawful money transmitting business.
According to court documents and statements made in court, in January 2025, Habib registered “Around The World Solutions LLC” with the State of Connecticut and rented shared commercial office space at 386 Main Street in Middletown. In February 2025, Habib opened a bank account for Around The World. Shortly thereafter, Around The World Solutions began to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare Advantage (also known as “Medicare Part C”) plans in Connecticut for durable medical equipment, including orthotics and braces, that Medicare beneficiaries did not ask for, consent to, or receive. The claims were submitted by an individual in Pakistan.
Between March 12, 2025, and May 14, 2025, a total of approximately $680,571.28 in payments from Medicare Advantage plans operated by private insurers were deposited into Around The World Solutions’ bank account, based on fraudulent claims for orthotics purportedly provided to approximately 413 Medicare beneficiaries residing in 36 states. None of the Medicare beneficiaries resided in Connecticut. Payments for some of the claims were stopped by the Medicare Advantage programs when they discovered the fraud. The total amount of fraudulent claims Around The World Solutions submitted to Medicare Advantage plans was approximately $1,901,200.
Habib sent a total of 14 wire transfers totaling $425,000 from the Around the World Solutions bank account to bank accounts located in Pakistan. At no time were Habib or Around The World Solutions licensed by the Connecticut Department of Banking to engage in the business of money transmission in Connecticut. Under Connecticut state law, knowingly engaging in the business of money transmission in the State of Connecticut without obtaining a license is a class D felony, and engaging in unlicensed money transmitting without a state license is a violation of federal law.
Habib was arrested on a federal criminal complaint on August 24, 2025, shortly after federal investigators learned that he was scheduled to fly, using a one-way ticket, from JFK Airport to Pakistan the following day.
Habib is scheduled to be sentenced by U.S. District Judge Michael P. Shea in Hartford on September 8, at which time Habib faces a maximum term of imprisonment of five years. He is released on a $50,000 bond pending sentencing.
This investigation was conducted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney David J. Sheldon.
This announcement is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death.
Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Justice Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme.
The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Mexican Identity Thief Pleads Guilty to Passport Fraud, Theft of Government FundsRead the Press Release
HARRISONBURG, Va. – An immigrant from Mexico, who lied about her identity for more than 30 years to obtain immigration documents and other benefits, pled guilty to a pair of federal charges.
Candy Lazo, a.k.a. “Candida Jimenez Lazo” a.k.a. “Natalia Perez de Cruz” a.k.a. “Natalia Perez,” 53, pled guilty to one count of passport fraud and one count of theft of government funds.
According to court documents, the defendant was born Candia Jimenez Lazo in 1973 in Oaxaca, Mexico. However, beginning at least as early 1993, Lazo began impersonating a Mexican woman named Natalia Perez de Cruz, whom she knew as the former spouse of her ex-husband.
Lazo used the victim’s name and date of birth to obtain a U.S. visa in April 1993, according to the statement of facts filed in the case. She went on to use the victim’s identity on applications to procure various U.S. government benefits between 2011 and 2024, including: naturalization and U.S. citizenship, U.S. passports and passport cards, driver’s licenses, and REAL ID Act-compliant documents.
Further, Lazo used the Social Security number she obtained by impersonating the victim to apply for Social Security Administration disability benefits. By stealing the victim’s date of birth, Lazo effectively raised her age by approximately eight years, allowing her to fraudulently receive over $89,340 in disability benefits to which she was not entitled.
First Assistant United States Attorney Robert N. Tracci, Special Agent in Charge David Richeson of the Department of State- Bureau of Diplomatic Security, Special Agent in Charge Michael McGill of the Social Security Administration- Office of the Inspector General, and Special Agent in Charge Eric Weindorf of Homeland Security Investigations Washington, D.C. made the announcement.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Browne is prosecuting the case.
Massachusetts Man Charged in $5 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme as Part of National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A Stoughton, Mass., man has been charged in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare of over $5 million by submitting claims for durable medical equipment (DME) that was medically unnecessary and tainted by kickbacks. The charges filed today in federal court in Boston are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers;
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers;
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million; and
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since Oct. 1, 2025.
Bhamin Chhatrapati, 40, of Stoughton, Mass., was charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with over $5.1 million fraudulently billed to Medicare, of which over $2.6 million was paid. It is alleged that from approximately February 2023 through in or around September 2024, Chhatrapati and co-conspirators conspired to commit health care fraud by: working with telemarketers or call centers to obtain medical information from or about Medicare beneficiaries; using that information to prepare medical documentation for Medicare beneficiaries that made it appear that medical practitioners had legitimately prescribed medically necessary DME; submitting fraudulent claims to Medicare for orders for DME; receiving reimbursement from Medicare for these DME orders; and paying the telemarketers per brace order approved by Medicare.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
This case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Hoefle and Lauren Graber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts’ Criminal Division.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The District of Massachusetts worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division as well as the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Federal Bureau of Investigation.
On March 26, 2026, United States Attorney Leah B. Foley announced the creation of the Benefit & Voter Fraud Team, a district-wide initiative established in response to the rampant fraud being uncovered across Massachusetts. The Team is led by two senior federal prosecutors serving as Fraud Coordinators, whose mission it is to aggressively investigate and prosecute misuse of taxpayer-funded benefits in Massachusetts.
Members of the public are encouraged to report suspected benefit fraud in Massachusetts by calling 1-855-SCAM-MA-1 (855-722-6621).
On April 7, 2026, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
The details contained in the charging document are allegations. The defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in the court of law.
Leader of Antifa Cell Members in North Texas Sentenced to 100 Years in Prison for Terrorist Attack on ICE FacilityRead the Press Release
Leader of Antifa Cell Members in North Texas Sentenced to 100 Years in Prison for Terrorist Attack on ICE Facility
Seven Additional Defendants Also Sentenced Before One-Year Anniversary of Attack to a Combined 450 Years in Prison
Today, before the one-year anniversary of their attack, eight North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were sentenced for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and the attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4, 2025, announced United States Attorney for the Northern District of Texas Ryan Raybould.
This is the first sentencing of defendants affiliated with Antifa following President Donald J. Trump’s executive order designating the group as a Domestic Terrorist Organization in September 2025.
Benjamin Hanil Song, who was convicted of the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Together, the Prairieland terrorists received a combined sentence of 450 years in prison:
- Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years in prison;
- Cameron Arnold was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Savanna Batten was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Zachary Evetts was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Bradford Morris was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Elizabeth Soto was sentenced to 50 years in prison; and
- Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Their violent extremism has no place in our country, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively investigate, disrupt, and prosecute those who threaten law enforcement officers or undermine the rule of law.”
“These sentences justly punish the vicious, armed attack that these Antifa cell members planned and executed against law enforcement and detention center officers on the night of July 4th last year,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “Their terrorist acts, attempted murder, vandalism, and explosives launched at a detention facility were a far cry from a peaceful protest or First Amendment expression. Because of the prompt action of first responders that night and tenacious work of our law enforcement partners, in tandem with the prosecutors in my office, eight people have been rightly punished for these violent acts and their attempts to conceal them. We will continue in this mission to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.”
“Today’s sentencings show the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and dismantling Antifa and its funding networks across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism.”
“The sentences handed down today send an unmistakable message: Attacks on federal officers and facilities will not be tolerated. The men and women of ICE serve with integrity and courage, often in challenging and dangerous environments. The calculated violence carried out by these Antifa cell members at Prairieland was an assault on law enforcement and an attack on the rule of law itself,” said Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella. “Nearly one year after this cowardly act, justice has prevailed. ICE will continue to stand firm against those who threaten our officers, our facilities and our mission.”
The sentences follow a 12-day trial that began on Feb. 23, where jurors heard testimony from 46 witnesses and considered over 210 exhibits supporting the charges against nine indicted defendants: Cameron Arnold, also known as Autumn Hill; Zachary Evetts; Benjamin Song; Savanna Batten; Bradford Morris, also known as Meagan Morris; Maricela Rueda; Elizabeth Soto; Ines Soto; and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada. All were convicted. Ines Soto was granted a continuance and will be sentenced on July 1.
Seven others, Seth Sikes, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp, and John Thomas, pleaded guilty prior to trial to one count of providing material support to terrorists and they will be sentenced on July 1.
Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law. An expert testifying in the government’s case told the jury that ANTIFA’s coordinated efforts involve obstructing Federal law through organized riots, violent assaults, and armed confrontations with law enforcement officers, increasingly targeting agents and facilities related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in opposition to the agency’s deportation actions.
Evidence at trial revealed that most of the ANTIFA Cell involved in the Prairieland attack looked to Benjamin Song as a leader. Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups. For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called “zines,” according to trial evidence.
Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, 2025, at least eleven of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc”—dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities—designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items to treat gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack. Many of these items were introduced by the government as exhibits. Additionally, DNA and fingerprint evidence linked many of the defendants to the items at the scene, and evidence obtained on phone locations supported that those who participated in the attack all turned off their phones or placed them in Faraday bags to prevent tracking on the night of the attack.
After ANTIFA Cell members arrived at the detention facility, they began shooting off and throwing fireworks (explosives) at the facility and vandalizing vehicles and a guard shack on Prairieland property:
Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025.
Trial evidence demonstrated that collectively, this ANTIFA Cell acquired over 50 firearms in the Fort Worth/Dallas area prior to July 4. During trial, the government introduced numerous chats of the members, who used an encrypted messaging app to coordinate with each other that had auto-delete functions, permanently deleting some Antifa Cell members’ communications. They also used monikers in group chats to hide their identities, and some of the planning chats included only trusted participants. The chats introduced at trial revealed that members in this limited group conducted reconnaissance and discussed what to bring to the riot, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks:
Witnesses who testified during the government’s case included the Alvarado police officer who was shot in the neck by Song, detention officers present that night who also took cover from rapid fire, multiple additional responding officers, numerous investigative agents, and cooperating codefendants, including Baumann, Sharp, Thomas, and Kent. Among other things, Kent testified that the night before the attack at a “gear check,” Song proposed to free the detainees at the Prairieland detention facility and told the group that they should wear “black bloc” and bring rifles, because he (Song) wasn’t going to be arrested. Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4—without the gear they brought that night—and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility:
The sentences of the eight defendants were for the following offenses:
- Riot, with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed-circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
- Defendants convicted: Cameron Arnold, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto
- Providing Material Support to Terrorists, including property, services, training, communications equipment, weapons, explosives, personnel (including themselves), and transportation.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive, and Using and Carrying an Explosive, during a riot.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Attempted Murder of Officers and Employees of the United States, involving the unlawful attempt to kill with malice aforethought an Alvarado Police Officer who was assisting federal officers/agents.
- Defendant convicted: Song
- Discharging a Firearm During, and in Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, i.e., the attempted murder of two correctional officers and an Alvarado Police Officer.
- Defendant convicted: Song
- Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record, by transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials, such as insurrection planning, anti-law enforcement, anti-government, and anti-immigration enforcement documents and propaganda from Sanchez Estrada’s residence to a location in Denton, Texas, intending to conceal the box’s contents and impair its availability for use in a federal grand jury and federal criminal proceeding.
- Defendant convicted: Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada
- Conspiracy to Conceal Documents and other objects that would implicate Maricela Rueda in the riot and shooting at the Prairieland facility.
- Defendants convicted: Sanchez Estrada and Maricela Rueda
Defendants Song, Morris, Rueda, and E. Soto were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark T. Pittman for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Judge Pittman said, “It’s by the grace of God that Song is not dead. He managed to get 11 shots in seconds; then the officer shooting blindly happened to hit the magazine well of Song’s rifle. Mr. Song’s lucky he isn’t dead. We had a guardian angel that ensured that Mr. Song isn’t dead, and we don’t have several deceased people at Prairieland.”
Defendants Arnold, Evetts, Batten, and Sanchez-Estrada were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’ Connor for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Chief Judge O’ Connor said, “The defendants’ violence and terrorism is an assault on Democracy. The defendants’ planning, staging, and execution of the attack led to the attempted murder of an officer who ironically is not even involved in enforcing immigration law.”
The sole count of providing material support to terrorists brought in the information against Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas, and separately, Sikes’s information, mirrors the material support offense in the charges presented to the jury at trial. Each of these defendants face a sentence of up to fifteen years in federal prison and will be sentenced on July 1, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Office (ICE ERO).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Shawn Smith, and Matt Capoccia for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Leader of Antifa Cell Members in North Texas Sentenced to 100 Years in Prison for Terrorist Attack on ICE FacilityRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced that eight North Texas Antifa Cell operatives were sentenced for their roles in rioting, using weapons and explosives, providing material support to terrorists, obstruction, and the attempted murder of an Alvarado police officer at the Prairieland Detention Center on July 4, 2025. This is the first sentencing of defendants affiliated with Antifa following President Donald J. Trump’s executive order designating the group as a Domestic Terrorist Organization in September 2025.
Benjamin Hanil Song, who was convicted of the attempted murder of a law enforcement officer, was sentenced to 100 years in prison. Together, the Prairieland terrorists received a combined sentence of 450 years in prison:
- Maricela Rueda was sentenced to 70 years in prison;
- Cameron Arnold was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Savanna Batten was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Zachary Evetts was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Bradford Morris was sentenced to 50 years in prison;
- Elizabeth Soto was sentenced to 50 years in prison; and
- Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada was sentenced to 30 years in prison.
“The sentences handed down today make clear that Antifa terrorists who attack law enforcement and federal facilities will face swift and uncompromising justice,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Their violent extremism has no place in our country, and the Department of Justice will continue to aggressively investigate, disrupt, and prosecute those who threaten law enforcement officers or undermine the rule of law.”
“Today’s sentencings show the FBI remains committed to identifying, locating, and dismantling Antifa and its funding networks across the country,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Acts of violence against our law enforcement partners will not be tolerated, and we continue our work to protect communities across the country from domestic terrorism.”
“These sentences justly punish the vicious, armed attack that these Antifa cell members planned and executed against law enforcement and detention center officers on the night of July 4th last year,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan Raybould for the Northern District of Texas. “Their terrorist acts, attempted murder, vandalism, and explosives launched at a detention facility were a far cry from a peaceful protest or First Amendment expression. Because of the prompt action of first responders that night and tenacious work of our law enforcement partners, in tandem with the prosecutors in my office, eight people have been rightly punished for these violent acts and their attempts to conceal them. We will continue in this mission to hold others accountable who perpetrate such violence and fund these ANTIFA groups in the Northern District of Texas.”
“The sentences handed down today send an unmistakable message: Attacks on federal officers and facilities will not be tolerated. The men and women of ICE serve with integrity and courage, often in challenging and dangerous environments. The calculated violence carried out by these Antifa cell members at Prairieland was an assault on law enforcement and an attack on the rule of law itself,” said Acting ICE Director David J. Venturella. “Nearly one year after this cowardly act, justice has prevailed. ICE will continue to stand firm against those who threaten our officers, our facilities and our mission.”
The sentences follow a 12-day trial that began on Feb. 23, where jurors heard testimony from 46 witnesses and considered over 210 exhibits supporting the charges against nine indicted defendants: Cameron Arnold, also known as Autumn Hill; Zachary Evetts; Benjamin Song; Savanna Batten; Bradford Morris, also known as Meagan Morris; Maricela Rueda; Elizabeth Soto; Ines Soto; and Daniel Rolando Sanchez-Estrada. All were convicted. Ines Soto was granted a continuance and will be sentenced on July 1.
Seven others, Seth Sikes, Nathan Baumann, Joy Gibson, Susan Kent, Rebecca Morgan, Lynette Sharp, and John Thomas, pleaded guilty prior to trial to one count of providing material support to terrorists and they will be sentenced on July 1.
Testimony and other evidence at trial established that the defendants were members of a North Texas Antifa Cell, part of a larger militant enterprise made up of networks of individuals and small groups primarily ascribing to an ideology that explicitly calls for the overthrow of the United States Government, law enforcement authorities, and the system of law. An expert testifying in the government’s case told the jury that ANTIFA’s coordinated efforts involve obstructing Federal law through organized riots, violent assaults, and armed confrontations with law enforcement officers, increasingly targeting agents and facilities related to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement in opposition to the agency’s deportation actions.
Evidence at trial revealed that most of the ANTIFA Cell involved in the Prairieland attack looked to Benjamin Song as a leader. Song acquired firearms that he distributed to co-defendants and recruited members at gun ranges and combat sessions he conducted, as well as from various ideologically aligned groups. For example, defendants Ines Soto, Elizabeth Soto, and Savanna Batten were part of a group that created and distributed insurrectionary materials called “zines,” according to trial evidence.
Trial testimony reflected that, late at night on July 4, 2025, at least eleven of the defendants rioted and attacked the Prairieland Detention Center in Alvarado, Texas, which the U.S. Department of Homeland Security was using to house illegal aliens awaiting deportation. The defendants dressed in “black bloc”—dark clothing with head and face coverings that concealed their identities—designed to hide each individual’s identity but also to aid and abet those members engaged in illegal acts by making members indistinguishable from one another to law enforcement. Evidence introduced at trial revealed that the defendants brought eleven firearms, body armor, and eleven military-grade first aid kits with tourniquets and other items to treat gunshot wounds to the scene of the attack. Many of these items were introduced by the government as exhibits. Additionally, DNA and fingerprint evidence linked many of the defendants to the items at the scene, and evidence obtained on phone locations supported that those who participated in the attack all turned off their phones or placed them in Faraday bags to prevent tracking on the night of the attack.
After ANTIFA Cell members arrived at the detention facility, they began shooting off and throwing fireworks (explosives) at the facility and vandalizing vehicles and a guard shack on Prairieland property:
Exploding fireworks (explosives) thrown at the Prairieland facility by Antifa Cell members, captured by surveillance cameras. Antifa Cell members’ vandalism at Prairieland, including graffiti on a guard building, punctured tires of a facility van, and broken facility surveillance camera.Witnesses testified that an Alvarado police officer responded to the scene after correctional officers called 911. When the officer began issuing commands to defendant Nathan Baumann, Benjamin Song can be heard on police bodycam video yelling, “get to the rifles!” and then he opened fire on the officers, striking the Alvarado police officer in the neck as the unarmed correctional officers ducked and ran for cover. Police arrested most of the Antifa Cell shortly after the attack, many near the scene. Benjamin Song escaped and remained at large with the help of others until his capture on July 15, 2025.
Trial evidence demonstrated that collectively, this ANTIFA Cell acquired over 50 firearms in the Fort Worth/Dallas area prior to July 4. During trial, the government introduced numerous chats of the members, who used an encrypted messaging app to coordinate with each other that had auto-delete functions, permanently deleting some Antifa Cell members’ communications. They also used monikers in group chats to hide their identities, and some of the planning chats included only trusted participants. The chats introduced at trial revealed that members in this limited group conducted reconnaissance and discussed what to bring to the riot, including firearms, medical kits, and fireworks:
Chats between Song (“Champagne”) and Evetts (“Jon ValJon”) the day before the attack. Chats between Song and Rueda (“Mal Criada”) just before the attack. Files stored on Evetts’s phone listing Antifa tactics strikingly similar to the defendants’ tactics.Witnesses who testified during the government’s case included the Alvarado police officer who was shot in the neck by Song, detention officers present that night who also took cover from rapid fire, multiple additional responding officers, numerous investigative agents, and cooperating codefendants, including Baumann, Sharp, Thomas, and Kent. Among other things, Kent testified that the night before the attack at a “gear check,” Song proposed to free the detainees at the Prairieland detention facility and told the group that they should wear “black bloc” and bring rifles, because he (Song) wasn’t going to be arrested. Evidence at trial also revealed that some of the defendants attended a peaceful daytime protest at Prairieland on July 4—without the gear they brought that night—and that they reported back to other defendants details regarding security at the facility:
Message from Evetts to other defendants about Prairieland security.The sentences of the eight defendants were for the following offenses:
- Riot, with the intent to commit an act of violence, involving conduct such as shooting and throwing fireworks and explosives, slashing tires on a government vehicle, spraying graffiti on property and vehicles, destroying a closed circuit camera, shooting at officers, and dressing in black bloc.
- Defendants convicted: Cameron Arnold, Zachary Evetts, Benjamin Song, Savanna Batten, Bradford Morris, Maricela Rueda, Elizabeth Soto, and Ines Soto
- Providing Material Support to Terrorists, including property, services, training, communications equipment, weapons, explosives, personnel (including themselves), and transportation.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Conspiracy to Use and Carry an Explosive, and Using and Carrying an Explosive, during a riot.
- Defendants convicted: Arnold, Evetts, Song, Batten, Morris, Rueda, E. Soto, and I. Soto
- Attempted Murder of Officers and Employees of the United States, involving the unlawful attempt to kill with malice aforethought an Alvarado Police Officer who was assisting federal officers/agents.
- Defendant convicted: Song
- Discharging a Firearm During, and in Relation to, and in Furtherance of a Crime of Violence, i.e., the attempted murder of two correctional officers and an Alvarado Police Officer.
- Defendant convicted: Song
- Corruptly Concealing a Document or Record, by transporting a box containing numerous Antifa materials, such as insurrection planning, anti-law enforcement, anti-government, and anti-immigration enforcement documents and propaganda from Sanchez Estrada’s residence to a location in Denton, Texas, intending to conceal the box’s contents and impair its availability for use in a federal grand jury and federal criminal proceeding.
- Defendant convicted: Daniel Rolando Sanchez Estrada
- Conspiracy to Conceal Documents and other objects that would implicate Maricela Rueda in the riot and shooting at the Prairieland facility.
- Defendants convicted: Sanchez Estrada and Maricela Rueda
Defendants Song, Morris, Rueda, and E. Soto were sentenced by U.S. District Court Judge Mark T. Pittman for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Judge Pittman said, “It’s by the grace of God that Song is not dead. He managed to get 11 shots in seconds; then the officer shooting blindly happened to hit the magazine well of Song’s rifle. Mr. Song’s lucky he isn’t dead. We had a guardian angel that ensured that Mr. Song isn’t dead, and we don’t have several deceased people at Prairieland.”
Defendants Arnold, Evetts, Batten, and Sanchez-Estrada were sentenced by Chief U.S. District Court Judge Reed O’ Connor for the Northern District of Texas. When imposing the sentences, Chief Judge O’ Connor said, “The defendants’ violence and terrorism is an assault on Democracy. The defendants’ planning, staging, and execution of the attack led to the attempted murder of an officer who ironically is not even involved in enforcing immigration law.”
The sole count of providing material support to terrorists brought in the information against Baumann, Gibson, Kent, Morgan, Sharp, Thomas, and separately, Sikes’s information, mirrors the material support offense in the charges presented to the jury at trial. Each of these defendants face a sentence of up to fifteen years in federal prison and will be sentenced on July 1, 2026.
The investigation was conducted by the FBI Dallas Field Office, Homeland Security Investigations Dallas, ATF, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Alvarado Police Department, and the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office, with assistance from Immigration and Customs Enforcement’s Enforcement and Removal Office (ICE ERO).
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Frank Gatto, Shawn Smith, and Matt Capoccia for the Northern District of Texas are prosecuting the case.
Latham Taxi Operators and Employees Charged in $660,000 Medicaid Fraud and Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Muhammad Zishan, a/k/a “Sean,” a/k/a “Shaun,” a/k/a “Shawn,” age 48, of Albany County, New York; Madiha Javed, a/k/a “Maddie,” age 34, of Rensselaer County, New York; and Ghazali Shaikh, age 20, of Warren County, New York, with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks in connection with Medicaid transportation services. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
The announcement was made by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz, and New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
“The superseding indictment alleges a scheme grounded in false claims, illegal kickbacks, and inducements used to generate Medicaid reimbursements,” said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “If proven, the conduct reflects a deliberate effort to drain public funds through fraud and to distort a program designed to serve those in need across New York. My office will continue to target those who weaponize federally funded health care systems for private gain and to safeguard taxpayer dollars from abuse.”
“HHS-OIG works tirelessly with our law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals are held accountable if they attempt to exploit federal health care programs for their own greed,” stated Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “It is alleged in this case that the defendants offered illegal kickbacks and billed Medicaid improperly for millions of dollars, which can affect the availability of funds and services for others and drive up the cost of taxpayer-funded health care.”
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli said, “The allegations against these defendants are infuriating. Vital government programs like Medicaid are designed to help people access the care they need. They are not designed so criminals can extort taxpayer dollars and line their own pockets. The FBI will continue to work with our partners to investigate and bring to justice any criminal looking to defraud our invaluable government programs.”
According to the superseding indictment, between approximately January 2020 and February 2025, the defendants operated and were associated with Latham Taxi Inc., a Medicaid-enrolled transportation provider. Medicaid is a federal and state health care program that reimburses providers for medically necessary services, including non-emergency transportation to medical appointments.
The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting and causing the submission of claims for transportation services that were not provided, not medically necessary, or improperly inflated. The alleged fraudulent billing included claims for “ghost rides,” claims for trips in which Medicaid recipients were not transported or not seen by medical providers and claims that improperly increased reimbursement by treating group transportation as multiple individual trips.
The superseding indictment further alleges that the defendants provided Medicaid recipients with cash, rent abatement, controlled substances, and other things of value to induce them to use Latham Taxi Inc. as their transportation provider. These payments were intended to generate additional Medicaid reimbursements and to sustain the fraudulent billing scheme.
As alleged, the defendants caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims through the New York State Department of Health, which processed Medicaid reimbursements through systems located in Rensselaer County and transmitted payments through interstate wire communications.
The alleged conduct resulted in the fraudulent receipt of at least $666,281.42 in Medicaid funds.
Zishan, Javed, and Shaikh are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. The defendants are also charged with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The defendants were arraigned yesterday in Albany, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista. Zishan was detained pending trial, Javed was detained pending a detention hearing scheduled for June 24, 2026, and Ghazali was released on conditions pending trial. The trial will be held before Senior United States District Judge Frederick J. Scullin
The charges in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Northern District of New York worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division, together with the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the New York State Comptroller’s Office, with additional assistance from the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Adam J. Katz are prosecuting the case.
Lakeside man sentenced to over 3 years in prison for stealing construction equipmentRead the Press Release
MISSOULA – A Lakeside man who stole over $180,000 worth of construction equipment from a Kalispell business and trucked it to Idaho was sentenced today to three years and five months in prison, followed by three years of supervised release, Acting U.S. Attorney Mark Steger Smith said.
Eric Brandon Wright, 43, pleaded guilty in January 2026 to one count of interstate transportation of stolen property.
U.S. District Judge Donald W. Molloy presided.
The government alleged in court documents that Wright stole $181,890 worth of construction equipment from RDO Rental Equipment in Kalispell.
Over the night of Aug. 23 and into the early morning of Aug. 24, 2023, Wright found his way into RDO and stole various pieces of digging and mulching equipment, along with a Towmaster trailer. Wright then used the trailer, hooking it up to an employee’s vehicle, to haul the equipment from the business. The employee’s vehicle was found a few days later, but a motorized wheelchair that had been kept in it was missing.
Law enforcement received a tip on Jan. 19, 2024, that Wright was selling construction equipment on Facebook, which they tracked to a storage facility in Lewiston, Idaho. Detectives spoke with the facility’s owner, who confirmed Wright had been renting storage space there. On Jan. 30, 2024, officers arrested Wright on an unrelated outstanding warrant and questioned him about the RDO theft. Wright denied stealing the equipment, saying he bought it from someone in Missoula.
Using cell phone data and surveillance video, investigators linked Wright’s truck to RDO the night of the theft. Responding to a report of a separate theft, officers were called to the residence of Wright’s uncle in Dalton Gardens, Idaho, where they discovered the missing Towmaster trailer. They also noticed the uncle using an electric wheelchair similar to the one stolen from the employee’s vehicle.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office prosecuted the case. The Kalispell Police Department and FBI conducted the investigation.
Kansas man arrested for abusive sexual contact on a Delta flight from Kona, Hawaii to SeattleRead the Press Release
Seattle – A 31-year-old Kansas man was arrested upon arrival at SEA airport this morning on a flight from Kona, Hawaii, after allegedly sexually assaulting the woman in the seat next to him, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Dominic Cortez Nichols was detained until a release plan can be put in place with a chaperone to escort him home to Kansas.
According to the criminal complaint, as the Delta Airlines flight boarded in Kona, the 27-year-old victim found Nichols sitting in her assigned window seat. Rather than get up and allow the victim to move into the seat, Nichols moved into the middle seat and forced the victim to climb over him to claim her seat.
With less than two hours to go in the overnight flight, the victim was attempting to sleep with her hands placed between her thighs when Nichols reached his hand between her hands and reached down to touch her inner thigh and groin area. The victim immediately hit the flight attendant call button and was moved to a different seat.
Abusive sexual contact aboard an aircraft is punishable by up to two years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
The charge contained in the criminal complaint is only an allegation. A person is presumed innocent unless and until he or she is proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In the last few years, the Western District of Washington U.S. Attorney’s Office has charged 13 defendants with abusive sexual contact on aircraft.
The case is being investigated by the FBI and the Port of Seattle Police Department.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Amanda McDowell.
Kanawha County Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Gun CrimeRead the Press Release
CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Mark Lewis Cobb, 39, of St. Albans, pleaded guilty today to being a felon in possession of a firearm.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on January 1, 2026, Cobb possessed a Polymer80 Inc. 9mm pistol in St. Albans.
Federal law prohibits a person with a prior felony conviction from possessing a firearm or ammunition. Cobb knew he was prohibited from possession a firearm because of his prior felony conviction for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine in United States District Court for the Southern District of West Virginia on February 8. 2017. Cobb was on supervised release for that conviction at the time of his current offense.
Cobb is scheduled to be sentenced on October 7, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 15 years in prison, up to three years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the St. Albans Police Department.
United States District Judge Irene C. Berger presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney D. Keith Randolph is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 2:26-cr-70.
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Justice Department Seizes Backend Infrastructure Used by the Huione Group for Money Laundering ServicesRead the Press Release
Today, the Justice Department announced the seizure of a cloud computing account used by subsidiaries of the Huione Group, a Cambodia-based corporate conglomerate. These subsidiaries are alleged to have assisted individuals and organizations in transferring proceeds of cryptocurrency investment frauds, cyber scams, and other criminal activities on cryptocurrency blockchains and allowing for the conversion of the proceeds of these schemes to the legitimate banking sector undetected.The seized account hosted backend infrastructure for the subsidiaries.
“Today’s seizure strikes a blow against one of the world’s most prolific criminal marketplaces,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The Huione Group used this cloud computing account as part of a technological backbone that allowed billions in fraud proceeds to be transferred, moved, and concealed — much of it stolen through Southeast Asian scam centers. Seizures of these marketplaces is critical in the fight against fraud that affects so many Americans, and to stop avenues for criminal proceeds to be laundered.”
“Today’s seizure demonstrates that law enforcement will use all tools at its disposal to protect Americans from criminals seeking to exploit them,” said U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian for the Northern District of California. “We will not allow individuals or companies to exploit our country’s technology to defraud hardworking Americans.”
“The FBI continually leverages its global reach to combat criminals targeting the American people,” said Assistant Director Heith Janke of the FBI’s Criminal Division. “This seizure demonstrates our commitment to disrupting every component of the illegal ecosystem and working with our partners to prevent further victimization from scams.”
“The FBI is committed to disrupting the infrastructure and services that cybercriminals rely on to profit from their illegal activity,” said Assistant Director Brett Leatherman of the FBI’s Cyber Division. “Today’s action targets a key enabler of cyber-enabled fraud and money laundering schemes, demonstrating that the FBI will pursue not only the perpetrators, but also the services that support their criminal operations.”
According to court documents, the seized account was used to help operate Huione Guarantee, also known as Haowang Guarantee. Huione Guarantee is alleged to have operated Telegram channels that contained discussions regarding illicit products and/or services, ranging from the sale of stolen credit card and identity information, the fruits of malware-enabled thefts, the procurement of individuals for human trafficking schemes, as well as assistance with laundering the proceeds of romance and investment scams. Huione Guarantee also provided escrow services for criminals transacting on its platforms to facilitate transactions, including money launderers laundering cryptocurrency. In doing so, Huione Guarantee facilitated the movement of considerable funds stolen by Southeast Asian scam centers.
Law enforcement has continuously traced cyber-enabled fraud proceeds to cryptocurrency addresses attributed to the Huione Group, including Huione Guarantee, where the funds were then further laundered. Reports of cyber-enabled fraud involving cryptocurrency continue to increase, with complainants reporting over $7.2 billion in losses to the FBI’s Internet Crime Complaint Center (IC3) in 2025 due to cryptocurrency investment fraud alone.
Last October, the Department of the Treasury’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network (FinCEN) issued a final rule severing Huione Group from the U.S. financial system. In this rule, FinCEN found the Huione Group to be a primary money laundering concern pursuant to section 311 of the USA Patriot Act, citing its significant role in laundering proceeds of cryptocurrency investment fraud, cyber heists conducted by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea, and proceeds of other cyber scams. Today, FinCEN issued a notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) to amend this rule’s definition of the Huione Group to include H-Pay Service PLC, among other changes. In its NPRM, FinCEN has assessed H-Pay Service PLC is a component of the Huione Group and of primary money laundering concern.
The FBI’s San Francisco Field Office and IRS Criminal Investigation are investigating the case.
Trial Attorney Ethan Cantor of the Criminal Division’s Computer Crime and Intellectual Property Section (CCIPS) and Assistant U.S. Attorney Sailaja Paidipaty for the Northern District of California are prosecuting the case. Former CCIPS Trial Attorney Stefanie Schwartz and Assistant U.S. Attorney Daniel Pastor, formerly in the Northern District of California, provided valuable assistance.
The Department of Justice also thanks the intelligence teams at Chainalysis and Elliptic, and Google’s CyberCrime Investigation Team for voluntarily providing valuable information for this investigation.
CCIPS investigates and prosecutes cybercrime and intellectual property (IP) crime in coordination with domestic and international law enforcement agencies, often with assistance from the private sector. Since 2020, CCIPS has secured the conviction of over 180 cyber and IP criminals, and court orders for the return of over $350 million in victim funds.
If you have been victimized by a cyber-enabled fraud scheme, please report the crime to the IC3 at www.ic3.gov. Law enforcement uses these complaints to investigate crimes, trace stolen funds for investigations and law enforcement action, and build cases against those responsible for the offenses.
This action is part of Operation Riptide, an ongoing FBI campaign targeting the criminal actors, infrastructure, and financial networks behind cybercrime, cyber-enabled crime, and fraud against the American people. Last year, Americans reported over $20 billion in losses to cybercrime, a 26 percent single-year increase. Operation Riptide is the FBI’s sustained enforcement response to that threat.
Justice Department Files Complaint Challenging New York Mask Ban and Identification Requirements for Federal OfficersRead the Press Release
WASHINGTON—Yesterday, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the State of New York, Governor of New York Kathy Hochul, New York Attorney General Letitia James, and Assistant Attorney General in Charge, Buffalo Regional Office, challenging their unconstitutional attempt to regulate federal law enforcement officers by criminally prohibiting federal officers from wearing masks, requiring individual identifiers, and banning cooperative 287(g) agreements with numerous local law enforcement agencies dedicated to helping enforce this nation’s laws.
Not only is the law an illegal attempt to regulate the federal government, but, as alleged in the complaint, the law threatens the safety of federal officers who have faced an unprecedented wave of harassment, doxing, and even violence. Threatening officers with prosecution for simply protecting their identities and their families also chills the enforcement of federal law and compromises sensitive law enforcement operations.
"Law enforcement officers risk their lives every day to keep Americans safe, and they do not deserve to be doxed or harassed simply for carrying out their duties," said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. "New York’s anti-law enforcement policies regulate the federal government and are designed to create risk for our agents. These laws cannot stand."
"Governor Hochul cannot tell Federal officers how to do their job,” said Associate Attorney General Stanley Woodward. "And she certainly cannot prohibit them from ensuring their own safety in conducting Federal law enforcement operations. Our suit today stops New York’s unconstitutional efforts."
"The Department of Justice will steadfastly protect the privacy and safety of law enforcement from unconstitutional state laws like New York’s," said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division.
Acting Attorney General Blanche has instructed the Department’s Civil Division to identify state and local laws, policies, and practices that facilitate violations of federal laws or impede lawful federal operations. Today’s lawsuit is the latest in a series of lawsuits brought by the Civil Division targeting illegal policies designed to thwart federal law enforcement across the country, including in Virginia, New Jersey, and California.
Jury finds Arizona man guilty of leading bulk cocaine, money laundering conspiracies tied to CincinnatiRead the Press Release
CINCINNATI – A federal jury found an Arizona man guilty on all counts for his role in leading narcotics and money laundering conspiracies. The government has seized more than 162 kilograms of cocaine, three kilograms of fentanyl and $1.4 million of bulk cash in total.
Cesar Cervantes, 52, of Tucson, Arizona, was convicted of participating in drug trafficking and money laundering conspiracies and of distributing five kilograms or more of cocaine. He faces at least 10 years and up to life in prison.
The verdict was announced following a trial that began on June 9 before U.S. District Judge Matthew W. McFarland.
According to court documents and trial testimony, for several years, Cervantes supplied between 25 and 50 kilograms of cocaine bi-weekly to coconspirators. Cervantes used a network of couriers to deliver the drugs that originated from Mexico to multiple locations, including to designated couriers in Cincinnati. The drug trafficking conspiracy operated from at least July 2018 until August 2023.
Cervantes used Colombian and Chinese money launderers to funnel the drug proceeds back to Mexico. For example, in July and August 2023, Cesar had other coconspirators deliver approximately $300,000 in drug proceeds to two separate money launderers, one who worked for a sophisticated China-based money laundering organization, and the other who worked for a separate sophisticated Colombia-based money laundering organization.
Dominick S. Gerace II, United States Attorney for the Southern District of Ohio, and Joseph O. Dixon, Special Agent in Charge, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Detroit, announced the verdict. Assistant United States Attorneys David P. Dornette and Frederic C. Shadley are representing the United States in this case.
These cases are part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States. HSTF Cincinnati comprises agents and officers from federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies.
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Israeli Citizen Sentenced for Conspiring to Steal Trade SecretRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Guy Galanti, 48, an Israeli citizen who resided in Scottsdale, Arizona, was sentenced yesterday to time served with three years of supervised release by United States District Judge G. Murray Snow. Galanti was previously charged for Conspiring to Steal a Trade Secret on September 10, 2025, and was arrested the following day. Galanti has been in custody since his arrest. He pleaded guilty to Conspiring to Steal a Trade Secret on May 26, 2026.
Galanti worked as a senior level manager for Green Technology Investments (GTI) in Scottsdale, Arizona. GTI is based in Arizona and is in the business of servicing semiconductor testing machines and selling remanufactured semiconductor testing machines with new functionalities designed by GTI.
Beginning sometime in early January 2025, and continuing to August 2025, Galanti conspired with another individual to steal GTI’s newly created Glass Detect Design, which would allow a semiconductor testing machine to locate microscopic defects on a semiconductor wafer made of glass instead of silicon material. Galanti’s co-conspirator sought to recreate GTI’s new design as he operated a Taiwanese company that directly competed with GTI.
Over the course of several months, Galanti secretly sent photos of GTI’s Glass Detect Design, information, and software, to his co-conspirator in an effort to recreate GTI’s proprietary system. To conceal their interactions, Galanti and his co-conspirator communicated over an encrypted messaging system, deleted emails and transaction data sent from Galanti’s work email, and created fictitious invoices to document the transfer and potential payment of funds to Galanti.
The FBI’s Phoenix Division conducted the investigation in this case. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Raymond K. Woo and Matthew Williams, District of Arizona, Phoenix, handled the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: CR-25-1391-PHX-GMA
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-103_Galanti# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Huntington Man Sentenced to Prison for Federal Drug CrimeRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Matthew Robert Hudson, 41, of Huntington, was sentenced today to five years in prison, to be followed by four years of supervised release, for distribution of 50 grams or more of a mixture of methamphetamine.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on September 23, 2025, a law enforcement officer conducted a traffic stop of a vehicle driven by Hudson in Huntington. Officers searched the vehicle and seized approximately 120 grams of methamphetamine found in the handbag of Hudson’s passenger. As part of his guilty plea, Hudson admitted that he possessed the seized methamphetamine, asked his passenger to hold the methamphetamine for him, and intended to sell the methamphetamine in exchange for money.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers imposed the sentence. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor prosecuted the case.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:25-cr-195.
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Homeland Security Task Force Case: Illegal Alien from Canada Sentenced to 160 Months in Prison for Conspiracy to Smuggle 65 Handguns from U.S. into CanadaRead the Press Release
Defendant Illegally Entered U.S. in 2023 After Allegedly Helping to Steal Millions in Gold Bars from Toronto Airport
HARRISBURG – The United States Attorney’s Office for the Middle District of Pennsylvania announced that Durante King-Mclean, 27, of Cambridge, Ontario, Canada, was sentenced to 160 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Jennifer P. Wilson for conspiring with others to illegally traffic in firearms.
King-Mclean pleaded guilty to conspiring with others to illegally traffic firearms on May 14, 2025. The charges stem from a Sept. 2, 2023, traffic stop by the Pennsylvania State Police in Franklin County of a rental vehicle operated by King-Mclean who was the only occupant of the vehicle. During the stop King-Mclean fled on foot and was apprehended after a brief foot chase. A subsequent search of the rental vehicle led to the recovery of 65 handguns in the vehicle’s trunk that were all individually concealed in socks. Of the 65 handguns that were recovered, two were fully automatic, 11 were stolen, and one had an obliterated serial number.
King-Mclean had been in communication with his co-conspirators from April of 2023 until his arrest on September 2, 2023, and had been staying at an Airbnb in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, until he rented the vehicle at the end of August 2023 and headed north towards Canada with the illegally purchased handguns. Sometime after his arrest and incarceration on Sept. 2, 2023, King-Mclean was charged by Canadian authorities for his alleged participation in the April 17, 2023, heist of millions of dollars in gold bars and foreign currency from the Air Canada cargo terminal at Toronto’s Pearson International Airport. It was shortly after this heist that King-Mclean illegally entered the United States where he remained until his arrest on Sept. 2, 2023, as he was headed back to Canada with the 65 handguns.
“Firearms trafficking is a serious crime that puts guns in the hands of the criminals that terrorize our communities in the United States and Canada,” said Special Agent in Charge (SAC) Eric J. DeGree for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF), Philadelphia Field Division. “King-Mclean’s lengthy sentence reflects the seriousness of his crime and shows the heavy penalties perpetrators can expect. This case also demonstrates the strength of our cooperation with our local and international law enforcement partners to protect our communities from violent gun crime.”
“Trafficking dozens of illegal firearms across our border is a serious offense with far-reaching consequences. The conviction of Durante King-Mclean underscores the serious threat posed by firearms traffickers, whose actions fuel violence in communities both here and in Canada,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) Philadelphia Nathan Abel. “HSI is steadfast in its commitment to work with our federal, state, and international partners to dismantle cross-border criminal networks and ensure that individuals like King-Mclean are held fully accountable for their crimes.”
This prosecution is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of U.S. law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
The ATF Harrisburg Office, the Pennsylvania State Police, and HSI investigated the case. Assistant U.S. Attorney Carlo D. Marchioli and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney William A. Behe for the Middle District of Pennsylvania prosecuted the case.
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Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 10 SoCal Defendants Federally Charged with Defrauding Public Health Plans, Other CrimesRead the Press Release
LOS ANGELES – As part of the national health care fraud takedown, federal law enforcement in the greater Los Angeles metropolitan area have arrested five defendants, including a Whittier woman who participated in a scheme that submitted nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs, and a San Fernando Valley man who is charged with running hospice care companies that fraudulently billed Medicare $27 million, the Justice Department announced today.
In total, federal prosecutors in the Central District of California have brought criminal charges against 10 defendants who’ve allegedly engaged in fraud against government-funded health programs or abused their positions as doctors to illegally prescribe controlled substances.
The charges announced today are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death.
Today’s takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history.
In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme.
The takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of more than $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
“This year’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown represents the greatest whole-of-government effort to combat health care fraud in our Nation’s history,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Under the decisive leadership of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and our law enforcement partners, this administration has ushered in a new era of enforcement that will safeguard taxpayer dollars.”
“Public health programs are intended to support the elderly, the ill, the needy, and other vulnerable members of our communities,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli. “It is not there to enrich fraudsters. Today’s announcement highlights our determination to hold anyone who defrauds our nation’s health system criminally accountable. We will find you. We will arrest you. And we will seek long prison sentences.”
“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 the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “As today’s cases and arrests show, there is no case too big, no scheme too complex, and no hiding place too remote for our relentless fraud-fighting team. Our message is simple: if you put profit over patients, you should expect to be put in prison.”
“Health care fraud steals from taxpayers, exploits vulnerable patients, and puts lives at risk,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s historic enforcement action sends a clear message: if you use our health care system to enrich yourself at the expense of patients or the American people, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will hold you accountable. HHS will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect patients, safeguard taxpayer dollars, and restore integrity to our health care system.”
“The coordination in the Health Care Fraud Takedown reinforces the Trump Administration’s efforts to end the crimes of bad actors who have ripped off U.S. taxpayers,” said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “This is a whole of government effort, to hold those who defraud our nation accountable. Our message is clear: If you steal from American taxpayers, you will face the consequences.”
“This results of this nationwide healthcare takedown are historic,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Under the leadership of President Trump, Vice President Vance, and the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, this FBI worked alongside our DOJ partners to arrest and charge over 450 people, including almost 100 medical professionals, for over $6 billion in alleged healthcare fraud schemes - showing the enormous amount of work done by our interagency law enforcement team over the last month and beyond. While today’s announcement is one of the largest on record–every arrest is a continued message to criminal actors who rob American taxpayers that you will not get away with your crimes.”
“Taking advantage of grieving families at the moment they are mourning a loss and siphoning hundreds of millions of dollars from programs meant to provide real medical care, are harms that go far beyond fraud,” said Patrick Grandy, Assistant Director in Charge of the FBI’s Los Angeles Field Office. “These actions inflict deep emotional pain and drain resources that taxpayers and vulnerable patients rely on. The FBI, along with our partners, remain committed to protecting families during their hardest moments and defending the integrity of our health care system from those who seek to exploit it.”
The following individuals have been charged in the Central District of California:
United States v. Mareik
Christina Mareik, 61, a.k.a. “Christina Marie Sanchez Hernandez,” of Whittier, was arrested on June 17 on a federal criminal complaint charging her with health care fraud. She made her initial appearance on June 17 in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles. She is free on $100,000 bond and her arraignment is scheduled for July 23.
Mareik allegedly participated in a scheme in which nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims were submitted over an 11-month span to Medi-Cal for expensive prescription drugs containing generic ingredients that were not medically necessary and, in many instances, not provided to the purported recipients.
She worked for Paul Richard Randall, 67, of Orange, a patient marketer for Monte VP LLC, a Montclair-based company that did business as Monte Vista Pharmacy.
Randall, along with Monte Vista Pharmacy’s owner, Kyrollos Mekail, 38, of Moreno Valley, and Patricia Anderson, 59, of West Hills, took advantage of Medi-Cal’s suspension of its requirement that health care providers obtain prior authorization before providing certain health care services or medications as a condition of reimbursement. The suspension of the prior authorization requirements was part of an ongoing transition of Medi-Cal’s prescription drug program to a new payment system.
According to an affidavit filed with the complaint, Mareik “played a key role in this sprawling fraud scheme by creating fraudulent prescriptions for Medi-Cal beneficiaries,” directing Anderson to sign the fraudulent prescriptions understanding that Anderson had not seen the patients or otherwise determined that the medications were medically necessary, and arranging for the fraudulent prescriptions to be submitted to Monte Vista to submit claims to Medi-Cal.
From May 2022 to April 2023, Mareik facilitated the signing of the bogus prescriptions that were billed to Medi-Cal for nearly $270 million and in turn for which Medi-Cal paid more than $178 million for 19 expensive, non-contracted drugs containing low-cost, generic ingredients that were not medically necessary or were not provided.
Mareik sent thousands of fraudulent prescriptions to Anderson and caused the submission of fraudulent prescriptions under her own name.
Numerous patients complained about receiving medications from Monte Vista for which they had no use and no knowledge as to why they were receiving the medications. Mareik handled the patient complaints so patients would not involve law enforcement and so that the fraud scheme could continue.
After an audit of Monte Vista by the California Department of Health Care Services, Mareik sent Mekail hundreds of fraudulent progress notes for Medi-Cal beneficiaries to help cover up the scheme. Mareik received hundreds of thousands of dollars in fraudulent Medi-Cal proceeds for facilitating the scheme.
If convicted, Mareik would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
Randall pleaded guilty on April 7 to one count of wire fraud committed while on release and faces a statutory maximum sentence of 30 years in federal prison at his August 3 sentencing hearing.
Federal law enforcement has seized multiple luxury cards and rare baseball cards in connection with the scheme and are in forfeiture proceedings concerning homes Randall purchased with illicitly gained funds.
The FBI, HHS-OIG, and the California Department of Justice are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Roger Hsieh of the Major Frauds Section and Trial Attorney Siobhan M. Namazi of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section are prosecuting this case. Assistant United States Attorney James E. Dochterman of the Asset Forfeiture and Recovery Section is handling asset forfeiture matters in this case.
United States v. Shachar, et al.
Oren David Shachar, 59, of Van Nuys, and Abraham Shin, 66, of Corona, were arrested on June 18, made their initial appearances that day, and were arraigned in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
Both defendants, along with Jeannie Choi, 57, of Torrance, are charged in a 16-count indictment alleging that they conspired to defraud Medicare out of approximately $27 million. Choi was arrested Monday and is expected to make her initial appearance today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
The charges in the indictment are conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, monetary transaction in criminally derived property over $10,000, and violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Shachar and Shin are scheduled to go to trial on August 11. A federal magistrate judge ordered both defendants released on bond.
According to the indictment, from February 2021 to March 2026, Shachar, who conspired with marketers Choi and Shin in 2025, submitted false claims for hospice services that were medically unnecessary because the beneficiaries were not terminally ill or were not provided because the beneficiaries were already deceased. Shachar’s Medicare claims were also non-payable because Shachar paid illegal kickbacks to marketers to procure hospice beneficiaries and paid beneficiaries to remain enrolled in his hospices.
As part of this scheme, Shachar owned and operated at least four hospice care companies that he used to submit the fraudulent claims, including the Valley Glen-based Gentle Touch Hospice Care Inc., the Montclair-based Oxford Hospice Care Inc., the Encino-based Art of Hospice Inc., and the Glendale-based Holly Trinity Hospice.
In 2025, Shin and Choi sold living and deceased patients’ personal identifying information to Shachar to assist him in perpetuating this fraud.
If convicted of all charges, the defendants would face decades in federal prison.
The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating this matter.
Trial Attorney Michael Bacharach of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section is prosecuting this case.
United States v. Lopez
Brenda Lee Lopez, 63, of Norwalk, was arrested this morning. She is charged in a federal grand jury indictment with seven counts of health care fraud and six counts of aggravated identity theft in connection with a $9 million laboratory testing scheme to defraud Medicare.
Lopez is expected to make her initial appearance and be arraigned today in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles.
According to the indictment, Lopez, a medical office manager, prepared false orders for urinary tract infection tests, respiratory pathogen panels, and oral toxicology screens for Medicare beneficiaries using the names and forged signatures of four medical providers.
The beneficiaries did not provide specimens for the tests, and some were deceased at the time of testing. Lopez provided the orders to a laboratory, which billed Medicare for the fraudulent tests. At one point, Lopez attempted to pay one of the providers when the provider learned that his name was used without authorization to refer hundreds of tests to the laboratory.
In total, the laboratory billed Medicare approximately $9,087,013 and was paid approximately $2,117,994 for testing referred by Lopez based on the fraudulent orders.
In exchange for the referrals, the laboratory paid Lopez and her family members approximately $335,000, much of which Lopez spent at a casino and to pay others who assisted her in the scheme.
If convicted, Lopez would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison for each health care fraud count and a mandatory two-year consecutive federal prison sentence for each count of aggravated identity theft.
The FBI and HHS-OIG are investigating this matter.
Trial Attorney Matthew R. Belz of the U.S. Department of Justice, Criminal Division, Fraud Section is prosecuting this case.
United States v. Galbraith
Lynn Galbraith, 59, of Anaheim, the owner of the Garden Grove-based Azure Hospice Care Inc., is charged in a single-count information with health care fraud.
From April 2021 to February 2024, Galbraith allegedly submitted approximately $2,266,694 in fraudulent claims to Medicare for hospice services. Medicare paid out approximately $2,140,606 on the fraudulent claims.
Galbraith is expected to make her initial appearance in the coming weeks in United States District Court in Santa Ana.
If convicted, she would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
HHS-OIG is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Rosalind Wang of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
United States v. Khader, et al.
Three physicians – Wisam Khader, 36, of Irvine, Patrick Murphy, 40, of Irvine, and Justin Evans, 37, of Lakewood, Colorado – are charged in connection with a scheme in which they used their prescribing authority to prescribe controlled substances to one another outside the course of professional practice and without a legitimate medical purpose.
As alleged in the single-count indictment, the three defendants wrote almost 90 prescriptions to one another for drugs containing federally controlled substances, including amphetamine, oxycodone, buprenorphine, diazepam, morphine, and pregabalin.
They are charged with one count of conspiracy to distribute and possess with intent to distribute controlled substances.
If convicted, the defendants would face a statutory maximum sentence of 40 years in federal prison.
The Drug Enforcement Administration is investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Rahul Hari of the Major Crimes Section is prosecuting this case.
United States v. Dorsey
Dr. Eugene Richard Dorsey, 83, of Orange, a psychiatrist at Western Orthopaedic Surgical Associates, a.k.a. “South County Orthopaedic Associates,” is charged via information with health care fraud in connection with a scheme to defraud the United States Department of Labor, Office of Workers’ Compensation programs
According to court documents, from December 2020 to December 2025, Dorsey falsified psychiatric reports so that claimants would fraudulently qualify for federal worker’s compensation, and submitted false claims for reimbursement of medical services, resulting in overpayments of approximately $1,831,462.
Dorsey is expected to make his initial appearance in U.S. District Court in Santa Ana in the coming weeks.
If convicted, Dorsey would face a statutory maximum sentence of 10 years in federal prison.
United States Postal Service Office of the Inspector General and the Fraud Division of the California Department of Insurance, Enforcement Branch are investigating this matter.
Assistant United States Attorney Rosalind Wang of the Orange County Office is prosecuting this case.
Criminal complaints, indictments, and informations contain allegations, and all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud Division). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President JD Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Prior to the charges announced as part of today’s nationwide Takedown and since its inception in March 2007, the National Fraud Division’s Health Care Strike Force program, currently comprised of nine strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. In addition, CMS, working in conjunction with HHS-OIG, are taking steps to hold providers accountable for their involvement in health care fraud schemes. More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
Headstone Salesman Who Defrauded Hundreds of Customers in Pennsylvania and New Jersey Pleads Guilty to Wire Fraud and Tax FraudRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Gregory J. Stefan Jr., 56, of Upper Merion, Pennsylvania, entered a plea of guilty today before United States District Judge Juan R. Sánchez to seven counts of wire fraud and four counts of filing a false tax return.
The defendant was charged by superseding indictment in December 2024, arising from fraudulent business practices he employed in the operation and management of headstone sales companies, and his failure to report on his individual income tax returns any income he received from those companies.
As detailed in court filings and statements, between January 2018 and September 2023, Stefan — through his businesses 1843 LLC and Colonial Memorials — defrauded hundreds of grieving customers by entering into contracts to provide custom headstone and engraving services for their deceased loved ones that he knew he would not deliver on the promised timeline, if at all.
Stefan demanded large up-front payments from his customers (often 100% of the purchase price) but routinely failed to fulfill their orders by the projected delivery date. When customers reached out to request updates on the status of their overdue orders, he either ignored them or employed lulling tactics and assured them that their orders would be delivered shortly without taking any steps to follow through on those assurances.
In all, Stefan failed to deliver, or provide refunds for, orders placed by almost 500 customers who had paid him in excess of $1.5 million. Stefan also falsely reported on his federal income tax returns that he earned no income whatsoever each year from 2018 through 2021.
As part of his federal plea agreement, Stefan accepted responsibility for similar crimes charged in 10 local cases across Pennsylvania, New Jersey, and Delaware, which resulted in an additional $210,000 loss to victims.
The defendant will be sentenced on a date to be determined and faces a maximum possible term of 152 years’ imprisonment.
This case was investigated by the FBI and IRS Criminal Investigation and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Jessica Rice.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office thanks the Delaware County District Attorney’s Office, Northampton County District Attorney’s Office, Bergen County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office, Burlington County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office, Gloucester County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office, Middlesex County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office, Passaic County (N.J.) Prosecutor’s Office, and the Delaware Department of Justice for their assistance in investigating and reaching a global resolution of this case.
Houston Man Charged with Fraudulently Obtaining Controlled Substances as Part of National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
Today, United States Attorney Kurt L. Wall announced criminal charges against Kendrick Derrell Adams of Houston, Texas, for conspiracy to acquire and obtain possession of controlled substances by fraud and acquiring and obtaining possession of controlled substance by fraud in connection with a scheme to purchase controlled substances using a fraudulent prescription. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
“Healthcare Fraud is not only theft of taxpayer dollars, but it also directly contributes to the rising costs of health care for everyone,” stated U.S. Attorney Wall. “We will not sit by passively while these fraudsters line their pockets with stolen monies. They need to know that their day of reckoning is coming.”
The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Wall are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following individual was charged in the Middle District of Louisiana: Kendrick Derrell Adams, age 39, of Houston, Texas.
As alleged in the indictment, Adams worked with others to obtain promethazine-codeine, a Schedule V controlled substance, using a fraudulent prescription. That prescription was submitted using a doctor’s stolen identity and in the name of a fake patient. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Zakeria Haidary and Acting Assistant Chief Sara Porter of the Gulf Coast Strike Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Jessica Thornhill of the Middle District of Louisiana.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The Middle District of Louisiana, in particular, worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, to investigate and prosecute the case filed during the Takedown.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Gun Store Owner Pleads Guilty to Aiding and Abetting Straw Purchasing and Failing to Report Cash Payments over $10,000Read the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Alejandro Montemayor, 33, of Chandler, Arizona pleaded guilty earlier this month to Aiding and Abetting a False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm and Failure to File a Report Related to Currency. Sentencing is scheduled for Aug. 17, 2026, before United States District Judge Susan M. Brnovich.
Montemayor admitted that between Jan. 6, 2022 and May 29, 2024, he operated and ran AV AZ Firearms, a Federal Firearms Licensee in Phoenix. During that time, he facilitated the straw purchase of firearms and later transferred at least 72 of those firearms to other individuals.
One example of Montemayor’s criminal acts took place on May 22, 2024, when he allowed and encouraged an individual to commit the crime of False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm by showing them how to fill out the forms required for purchasing a firearm. Montemayor directed the individual to attest he was the true purchaser of the firearm, even though Montemayor knew that was false. Montemayor then gave the firearm to a third individual.
Montemayor also failed to file reports with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network for sales greater than $10,000. In total, Montemayor admitted that he failed to file 15 such reports between Feb. 23, 2024 and May 14, 2024, accounting for over $258,000 in proceeds.
A conviction for False Statement During the Purchase of a Firearm carries a maximum penalty of 5 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, or both. A conviction for Failure to File Forms 8300 Relating to Cash Received in Trade or Business carries a maximum penalty of 10 years in prison, a fine of up to $500,000, or both.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Ben Goldberg and Sheila Phillips, District of Arizona, are handling the prosecution.
CASE NUMBER: 26-CR-00501-PHX-SMB
RELEASE NUMBER: 2026-102_Montemayor# # #
For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Guatemalan National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that EDVIN BARNICA ESQUIVEL, 34, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on February 25, 2012, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) arrested Barnica in Falfurrias, Texas. On March 22, 2012, Barnica was removed to Guatemala. On November 19, 2017, Barnica, who was using the alias “Edvin Morales,” was arrested by the Hammonton, New Jersey, Police Department and charged with aggravated assault. He subsequently pleaded guilty to third degree aggravated assault and was sentenced to three years of incarceration. On April 4, 2019, Barnica was removed to Guatemala.
It is further alleged that, on February 23, 2025, Barnica was arrested by Danbury Police and charged with assault in the third degree and disorderly conduct. These charges were subsequently dismissed. On October 18, 2025, Barnica was arrested by Danbury Police and charged with attempted arson, breach of peace, and criminal mischief offenses. These charges are pending, and Barnica was released on a $20,000 bond and resided in Danbury at the time of his federal arrest.
Barnica appeared yesterday in Bridgeport federal court and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Barnica faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Anastasia E. King.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Guatemalan National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that SERGIO HIPOLITO REYES CORDERO, 52, a citizen of Guatemala, was arrested yesterday on a federal criminal complaint charging him with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, on October 22, 2011, U.S. Border Patrol (USBP) arrested Reyes in Freer, Texas. Reyes, who was using the alias “Jose Armando Mendoza Jimenez” and claimed to be a citizen of Mexico, was returned to Mexico that same day. On October 27, 2011, USBP arrested Reyes in Calexico, California. USBP transferred Reyes to the custody of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which determined that Reyes was a citizen of Guatemala. Reyes was removed to Guatemala on November 16, 2011. On December 6, 2011, USBP arrested Reyes in Laredo, Texas. He was removed to Guatemala on December 28, 2011. On January 23, 2012, USBP again arrested Reyes in Laredo, Texas. Reyes was charged in the Southern District of Texas with illegally reentering the U.S., convicted of the offense, sentenced to 15 days of imprisonment, and removed to Guatemala on February 22, 2012.
It is further alleged that Reyes again illegally reentered the U.S. On August 18, 2025, Reyes was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court in Danbury of two counts of tampering with physical evidence and one count of moving a dead body without a permit. Reyes was sentenced to five years of incarceration, execution suspended after two years, and five years of probation, for the offenses. He was released from state prison yesterday.
Reyes appeared yesterday in Hartford federal court and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Reyes faces a maximum term of imprisonment of two years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexis L. Beyerlein.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
Greece man sentenced for threatening FBI agent and familyRead the Press Release
ROCHESTER, N.Y.–U.S. Attorney Michael DiGiacomo announced today that Steven L. Ploof, 48, of Greece, NY, who was convicted of threatening to assault a member of the immediate family of a Federal law enforcement officer with intent to impede with such law enforcement officer while engaged in the performance of official duties, or with intent to retaliate against such law enforcement officer on account of the performance of official duties, was sentenced to serve 14 months in prison by U.S. District Judge Meredith A. Vacca.
On September 15, 2025, Ploof went to the Ogden, NY, residence of an FBI Special Agent and his family. When he arrived at the house, Ploof placed two posterboard signs on the front porch, one sign read “Corrupt FBI AGENT!” and the other sign read “I Want To (expletive) Your Kids!” Video of Ploof placing the two signs on the front porch was obtained from a residential security system.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Everardo A. Rodriguez. The sentencing is the result of an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, under the direction of Special Agent-in-Charge Allen D. Davis II, the Greece Police Department, under the direction of Acting Chief Ryan Parina, the Ogden Police Department, under the direction of Chief Travis Gray, and the Orleans County Sherriff’s Office, under the direction of Sheriff Christopher Bourke.
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Grayson County man sentenced to life in federal prison for supplying fentanyl and then watching and recording the victim’s overdose deathRead the Press Release
SHERMAN, Texas – A Denison man who supplied fentanyl that resulted in an individual’s death, has been sentenced to life in federal prison, announced Eastern District of Texas U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs.
Andrew Michael Smith, 36, was found guilty at trial of possession with intent to distribute and dispense fentanyl resulting in death and was sentenced to life in federal prison by U.S. District Judge Amos L. Mazzant on June 22, 2026.
According to information presented in court, on September 5, 2024, Smith provided a woman with fentanyl and methamphetamine. Smith watched and recorded the victim for several hours as she began to show severe signs of an overdose, including difficulty breathing, severe mental confusion, vomiting, and tremors. After the victim had taken her last breath, Smith finally, but untimely, called emergency responders. After law enforcement arrived, they began to perform lifesaving measures, but those efforts proved futile. The evidence during trial showed that Smith talked to numerous individuals over the course of hours while the victim was dying and even continued to arrange additional deals to acquire drugs.
“Smith targeted this victim because he knew her addiction made her vulnerable,” said U.S. Attorney Jay R. Combs. “Smith deserves every day of this life sentence. Our office, and our law enforcement partners, will continue to aggressively seek justice for drug trafficking victims.”
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime. Operation Take Back America streamlines efforts and resources from the Department’s Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Task Forces (OCDETFs) and Project Safe Neighborhood (PSN).
This case was investigated by the FBI and the Denison Police Department and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Eric Erlandson and Abe McGlothin, Jr.
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Gordonsville Physician Indicted on Health Care Fraud and Controlled Substance ChargesRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Angela Moss, 55, of Gordonsville, Tennessee, has been charged in a federal indictment with seven counts of health care fraud and twelve counts of unauthorized distribution of controlled substances in connection with a multi-year scheme involving the prescribing of controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice, announced Braden H. Boucek, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. The indictment was unsealed following Moss's arrest.
According to the indictment, Moss owned and operated Gordonsville Clinic and prescribed medically unnecessary controlled substances to patients for more than eight years. During that period, Moss issued prescriptions totaling more than 5.6 million pills and doses of controlled substances. The indictment alleges that many of those prescriptions were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice.
The indictment further alleges that Moss prescribed excessive and inappropriate quantities and combinations of controlled substances, resulting in medically unnecessary prescriptions being issued to patients and contributing to patient abuse, misuse, and addiction. Moss allegedly failed to adequately monitor her patients' use and abuse of prescribed controlled substances and continued to prescribe excessive and inappropriate amounts of those drugs even after receiving warnings regarding her prescribing practices, including warnings from the Tennessee Department of Health.
“Medical professionals occupy positions of extraordinary trust and responsibility,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “When that trust is abused through the unlawful prescribing of controlled substances, patients can suffer serious harm, addiction can flourish, and taxpayer-funded health care programs can be defrauded. Our office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who contribute to prescription drug abuse and health care fraud.”
This case is part of the Department of Justice's National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated nationwide law enforcement effort targeting health care fraud schemes that exploit patients, contribute to prescription drug abuse, and defraud federal health care programs.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Suedekum is prosecuting the case.
An indictment is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty, beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Gold Store Owner Charged with Selling Stolen Property Appears in Federal CourtRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The owner of a gold store in Hickory, N.C., appeared in federal court today to face charges for allegedly selling stolen property, announced Russ Ferguson, U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina. A grand jury in Charlotte returned a criminal indictment last week, charging Marty Christopher McDaniel, 65, of Hickory, and Kenny Price, 44, of Conover, N.C., with conspiracy to transport stolen property.
According to allegations in the indictment, from 2020 to 2024, McDaniel and Price conspired with each other and others to sell and transport stolen retail products through The Gold King, a business owned by McDaniel. The indictment alleges that the defendants purchased retail products from boosters, knowing that the products were stolen. A “booster” is a person who steals goods and merchandise from retail stores and sells them to a “fence.” McDaniel and Price operated as fences, paying the boosters a fraction of the retail value for the stolen goods.
The indictment further alleges that the defendants resold the stolen items through McDaniel’s various e-commerce stores on eBay, Mercari, and Whatnot. Many of the retail products sold on the e-commerce storefronts included products stolen by the boosters from national retail stores, such as The Home Depot, Lowe’s, Target, Best Buy, and others. The defendants sold the stolen items at a discounted price to customers throughout the United States and several foreign countries, earning more than $580,000 from the sales.
McDaniel’s had his initial appearance today in federal court. McDaniel and Price are charged with one count of conspiracy to commit interstate transportation of stolen property which, if convicted, carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
The charges against the defendants are allegations, and they are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
In making today’s announcement, U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson credited the FBI and the Catawba County Sheriff’s Office for the investigation of the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Caryn Finley of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Charlotte is prosecuting the case.
Gang Member Sentenced to 15 Years in Federal Prison for Fentanyl DistributionRead the Press Release
NEW BERN, N.C. – A federal judge sentenced Maurice McKeithan (street name “Puff”), 25, to 15 years in federal prison. On December 16, 2025, McKeithan pleaded guilty to two counts of distribution of fentanyl.
The Wilmington Police Department and ATF made several controlled purchases of fentanyl and carfentanyl at various locations from McKeithan in Wilmington, North Carolina. A video from one of the controlled purchases shows that McKeithan had a firearm in his pocket.
“Let this prosecution serve as a clear warning: if you choose to traffic drugs, fuel violence, or profit from poisoning our communities, law enforcement and prosecutors will pursue you relentlessly. We will use every lawful tool available to identify, arrest, and hold accountable those who believe they can operate above the law. Drugs Kill: Prison Awaits, Do Right.” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle.
McKeithan repeatedly broke society’s laws and trust with prior convictions for selling heroin (2012), conspiracy to commit robbery with a dangerous weapon (2015) and assault with a deadly weapon with the intent to kill as a habitual felon (2019). At the time he committed these most recent federal offenses, McKeithan was on probation for felony fleeing to elude law enforcement.
Per law enforcement McKeithan was a validated member of the United Blood Nation street gang.
“The outcome of this case demonstrates that those who threaten the safety of our communities with drugs and violence will be held accountable,” said Special Agent in Charge Alicia Jones. “The collaborative efforts among law enforcement partners, and the focus and objective of the Homeland Security Task Force, have been invaluable in helping to identify, apprehend and prosecute the violent groups and individuals that jeopardize our public safety.”
“This offender’s involvement in violent crime and drug trafficking posed a serious threat to our community. Thanks to the outstanding work of Wilmington Police Department officers, ATF agents, and federal prosecutors, he will now serve a significant prison sentence. This case highlights the strength of our local and federal partnerships and our shared commitment to holding violent offenders accountable. We will continue working aggressively with our law enforcement partners to protect our residents, enhance public safety, and ensure those who endanger our community are brought to justice,” said Chief Ryan Zuidema.
This prosecution is part of Operation Counterpunch which is part of the Homeland Security Task Force (HSTF) initiative established by Executive Order 14159, Protecting the American People Against Invasion. The HSTF is a whole-of-government partnership dedicated to eliminating criminal cartels, foreign gangs, transnational criminal organizations, and human smuggling and trafficking rings operating in the United States and abroad. Through historic interagency collaboration, the HSTF directs the full might of United States law enforcement towards identifying, investigating, and prosecuting the full spectrum of crimes committed by these organizations, which have long fueled violence and instability within our borders. In performing this work, the HSTF places special emphasis on investigating and prosecuting those engaged in child trafficking or other crimes involving children. The HSTF further utilizes all available tools to prosecute and remove the most violent criminal aliens from the United States.
W. Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement after the sentencing before U.S. District Judge Louise W. Flanagan. The Wilmington Police Department and ATF investigated the case.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 7:25-cr-00070.
Fresno Man Sentenced to over 15 Years in Prison for Distributing Methamphetamine and Fentanyl Through the U.S. Mail and at Trolley Creek Park in FresnoRead the Press Release
FRESNO, Calif. — Isaac James Ocejo, 22, of Fresno, was sentenced Monday by U.S. District Judge Jennifer L. Thurston to 15 years and 10 months in prison for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Eric Grant announced.
According to court documents, between July 2023 and October 2024, Ocejo mailed several packages containing methamphetamine and fentanyl, through the U.S. Mail from post offices in Fresno to addresses in other states. In total, Ocejo and others shipped more than 10 kilograms of methamphetamine and more than a kilogram of fentanyl through the mail.
Ocejo and others also distributed significant quantities of methamphetamine in Fresno. In August 2024, Ocejo sold 10 pounds of methamphetamine to an individual in Fresno. The following month, Ocejo and co‑defendant Isaac Estrada sold an additional 10 pounds to an individual at Trolley Creek Park in Fresno in broad daylight.
On Jan. 26, 2026, Ocejo pleaded guilty. Estrada pleaded guilty to conspiracy to distribute and distributing methamphetamine in August 2025 and was sentenced to 46 months in prison on Nov. 7, 2025.
The Sacramento County Sheriff’s Office and the U.S. Postal Inspection Service conducted the investigation. Assistant U.S. Attorney Cody S. Chapple prosecuted the case.
Four Charged in New Hampshire as Part of National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
Four Charged in New Hampshire as Part of National Health Care Fraud Takedown
Today, United States Attorney Erin Creegan announced criminal charges against 4 defendants as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from fraudulent claims submitted to Medicare for durable medical equipment, theft of a United States citizen’s identity to obtain Medicare and Medicaid benefits, and a pharmacist who diverted controlled substances while on the job.
“Protecting the integrity of our federal health care programs is an important priority,” said U.S. Attorney Creegan. “The defendants charged today are alleged to have exploited systems meant to care for some of our most vulnerable community members. This conduct not only threatens the financial health of Medicare and Medicaid, it puts real people at risk. Working alongside our partners across the country, we will continue to pursue those who profit through fraud, theft, and the illegal diversion of controlled substances. Today’s cases demonstrate that we will hold accountable those who seek to abuse our health care system.”
The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Creegan are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a $1.2 billion telemedicine scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; seize over $182 million in cash, houses, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and provide full spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by HHS-OIG under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended due to fraud before the funds were actually paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following individuals were charged in the District of New Hampshire:
- Fructoso de Jesus Gomez Agudelo, a/k/a Jesus Gomez, 76, of Nashua, New Hampshire, was charged by indictment with wire fraud, false statements, false statements in health care matters, and aggravated identity theft in connection with his stealing a U.S. citizen’s identity for over 20 years to apply for and obtain over $500,000 of Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, housing, and SNAP benefits. The case is being prosecuted by Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Heather M. Anderson and Assistant U.S. Attorney Alexander S. Chen of the District of New Hampshire.
- Kakha Bendeliani, 48, of the country of Georgia, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a nationwide health care fraud scheme in which nearly $3 billion in claims were submitted to Medicare for durable medical equipment (“DME”)—primarily urinary catheters—that was medically unnecessary and not provided as represented. As a result of those claims, Medicare and Medicare Supplemental Insurers paid at least approximately $12,589,770 to Bendeliani’s company Centennial Med Supply LLC (“Centennial”). As alleged in the indictment, Bendeliani, the nominee owner of Centennial, allowed his personal information to be used by co-conspirators to purchase Centennial, took control of or established bank accounts for Centennial with at least six different financial institutions, and laundered the proceeds of health care fraud by withdrawing cashier’s checks that hid the source of the funds from certain Centennial bank accounts, deposited them in other Centennial bank accounts, and soon after initiated wire transfers to transfer at least approximately $12,589,770 in health care fraud proceeds overseas. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Thomas D. Campbell and John W. Howard of the New England Strike Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Vicinanzo of the District of New Hampshire.
Goga Danelia, 37, of the country of Georgia, was charged by complaint with conspiracy to commit money laundering in connection with a nationwide health care fraud scheme in which nearly $3 billion in claims were submitted to Medicare for durable medical equipment (“DME”)—primarily urinary catheters—that was medically unnecessary and not provided as represented. As a result of those claims, Medicare and Medicare Supplemental Insurers paid the fraudulent DME company Centennial Med Supply LLC (“Centennial”). As alleged in the complaint, Danelia assisted the nominee owner of Centennial in laundering proceeds of health care fraud by providing driving and English translation services for Centennial’s nominee owner while the nominee owner (1) opened accounts for Centennial at several different financial institutions; (2) withdrew health care fraud proceeds from the banks in the form of cashier’s checks; (3) deposited those checks at other Centennial bank accounts; and (4) wired those funds to overseas entities. At least approximately $13 million was wired abroad from the Centennial accounts. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Thomas D. Campbell and John W. Howard of the New England Strike Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew P. Vicinanzo of the District of New Hampshire.
- Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60, of Massachusetts, was charged by information with diverting controlled prescription drugs while working as a pharmacist in New Hampshire. As set forth in the plea agreement, in August 2024, Gerges-Maalouf served as a per diem pharmacist at a pharmacy in northern New Hampshire. While on duty, Gerges-Maalouf removed capsuled medication powder and prescription pills that were meant for patients and kept them for her own use. Gerges-Maalouf ingested some of the controlled substances while at work at the pharmacy. In all, Ms. Gerges-Maalouf diverted approximately 147 pills or capsules containing prescription medications during August 2024. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Vicinanzo of the District of New Hampshire.
“Today’s coordinated enforcement effort reflects our commitment to safeguarding the nation’s health care system,” said Roberto Coviello, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “The conduct alleged in these cases undermines the integrity of programs that millions of Americans rely on, and HHS‑OIG—working closely with our law enforcement partners—will continue to protect taxpayer‑funded resources and ensure accountability for those who seek to exploit them.”
“Looting money from Medicare and other federally funded health care programs strains the system and cheats the taxpayers who fund it. It isn’t ‘creative accounting,’ it’s a federal crime,” said Ted E. Docks, Special Agent in Charge of the FBI’s Boston Division. “This is not the way to increase your take-home pay. The FBI is committed to fighting health care fraud, one case at a time, and working with our partners allows us to pool our resources, intelligence, and expertise against doctors and other medical professionals who have chosen to put their own financial health ahead of their patients’ well-being.”
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The District of New Hampshire, in particular, worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division and the following law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the Takedown: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Office of Inspector General (FDA-OIG); the Social Security Administration Office of Inspector General (SSA-OIG); the Housing and Urban Development Office of Inspector General (HUD-OIG); the U.S. Department of Agriculture Office of Inspector General (USAD-OIG); and the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA-OIG).
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
Fort Dodge Man Sentenced to More Than 15 Years in Federal Prison for Meth ConspiracyRead the Press Release
Bryce Garrels, 32, from Fort Dodge, Iowa, was sentenced in federal court in Sioux City on June 22, 2026, to 183 months’ imprisonment for conspiracy to distribute methamphetamine and distribution of methamphetamine.
At the plea hearing on February 6, 2026, Garrels admitted that from July 2024 through August 2025, he and others were involved in a conspiracy that distributed more than 1 ½ pounds of meth in the Fort Dodge, Iowa area. Evidence further showed that on at least four occasions in July and August 2025, Garrels distributed or helped others distribute methamphetamine, ranging from one to four ounces.
Garrels was previously convicted of seven felony offenses in the State of Iowa, including Burglary 3rd Degree in 2011, 2015, and 2022, and Forgery in 2020, 2021 and 2022, as well as Possession of a Counterfeit Substance with Intent to Deliver in 2021.
United States District Court Judge Leonard T. Strand sentenced Garrels to 183 months’ imprisonment along with a five-year term of supervised release. There is no parole in the federal system. Garrels remains in custody of the United States Marshal until he can be transported to a federal prison.
The case was prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Shawn S. Wehde and was investigated by the Iowa Division of Narcotics Enforcement, Iowa DCI Laboratory, Fort Dodge Police Department, Iowa State Patrol, Webster County Sheriff’s Office, Hamilton County Sheriff’s Office, and Wright County Sheriff’s Office.
Court file information at https://ecf.iand.uscourts.gov/cgi-bin/login.pl.
The case file number is 25-3043. Follow us on X @USAO_NDIA.
Former New Hampshire State Representative and Massachusetts Daycare Worker Sentenced to Decades in Prison for Child ExploitationRead the Press Release
BOSTON – A New Hampshire woman, formerly employed at a daycare in Tyngsborough, Mass., and her former intimate partner have been sentenced in federal court in Boston for child exploitation and child pornography charges.
Lindsay Groves, 41, of Hudson, N.H., was sentenced on June 2, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 262 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. Stacie Marie Laughton, 42, of Nashua, N.H., a former New Hampshire State Representative, was sentenced on June 18, 2026 by U.S. Senior District Court Judge F. Dennis Saylor IV to 400 months in prison, to be followed by five years of supervised release. In October and November of 2025, the defendants pleaded guilty to three counts of sexual exploitation of children. Groves also pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of child pornography.
Groves and Laughton were arrested and charged by criminal complaint in June 2023 and July 2023, respectively. They were both subsequently indicted by a federal grand jury in July 2023.
“Parents rely on daycare centers to provide safe, nurturing and heathy environments for their children. These defendants exploited parents’ trust in the most egregious way imaginable. All to satisfy their disgusting prurient interests. The victims in this case were toddlers – children who were not yet old enough to care for themselves and, in some cases, not even fully verbal. Everyone who learns about the conduct in this case should be outraged. The defendants stripped these children of their innocence – something that can never be undone,” said United States Attorney Leah B. Foley. “The sentences imposed reflect the depravity of the conduct and the seriousness of the crimes. My office will seek the most serious charges and the stiffest sentences for anyone who preys on children.”
“This is one of the most abhorrent and disturbing crimes ever investigated by this office. It represents a profound violation of trust and the safety of vulnerable children. Groves and Laughton exploited their positions and betrayed the trust of parents and the community,” said Jeff Grimming, Acting Special Agent in Charge of Homeland Security Investigations in New England. “There are few crimes more disturbing than the sexual assault of a child, and no person more disturbing than one who stands accused of preying upon the most innocent members of our communities. HSI New England will continue to prioritize public safety by working tenaciously to remove child sex predators from our New England neighborhoods.”
Groves worked at Creative Minds located in Tyngsborough, Mass. Between May 2022 and June 2023, Groves took nude images of children at the daycare and sent the photos to Laughton, with whom she was previously in an intimate relationship. Specifically, Groves used natural bathroom breaks for the children (routine diaper/pull-up changes prior to “naptime”) to take multiple photos of the prepubescent children in a private bathroom and then sent the photos to Laughton via text message at Laughton’s request.
Forensic review of Grove’s and Laughton’s cellphones revealed over 10,000 text messages between them during an approximate one-month period in 2023. These messages included discussion about, and transfer of, explicit photographs that Groves had taken of children while employed at Creative Minds – including at least four sexually explicit images of children who appear to be approximately three to five years old.
All minor victims involved in this matter have been identified and their families have been contacted by law enforcement.
U.S. Attorney Foley, HSI Acting SAC Grimming and Nashua (N.H.) Police Chief Kevin Rourke made the announcement today. Valuable assistance was provided by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of New Hampshire; Middlesex County District Attorney’s Office; and the Hudson, N.H. Police Department. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Jessica L. Soto and Anne Paruti of the Criminal Division prosecuted the case.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse, launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices and the DOJ’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state and local resources to locate, apprehend and prosecute individuals who exploit children, as well as identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc.
Foreign National Indicted in Multimillion Dollar Healthcare Fraud ConspiracyRead the Press Release
RALEIGH, N.C. – Today, United States Attorney Ellis Boyle announced criminal charges against James Thomas Foley, 45, an Irish citizen residing in Youngsville, North Carolina, in connection with a multimillion-dollar health care fraud conspiracy on Medicare and other health insurance programs involving unnecessary durable medical equipment (DME). The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
“We will focus on exposing and stopping any scheme to bill Medicare for fake services or products that beneficiaries don’t actually need especially when provided in exchange for illegal kickbacks,” said U.S. Attorney Ellis Boyle. “When fraudsters treat Medicare like a personal ATM, the American taxpayers foot the bill. Our partners will not tolerate this criminal activity. Cheaters. Never. Win.”
The charges against Foley emanate from a scheme to bill Medicare, the Civilian Health and Medical Program of the Department of Veterans Affairs (CHAMPVA), TRICARE, and other insurance programs for medically unnecessary DME. As alleged in the indictment, Foley and others partnered with purported marketing entities which solicited Medicare beneficiaries to accept DME, such as braces and pneumatic compression devices, by illegally waiving copays and deductibles, and pressuring beneficiaries to accept the equipment without verifying that the equipment was medically necessary. The marketing entities sold the beneficiary information and the prefilled orders to Foley and other DME supply companies, who developed and implemented a “doctor chase” model to pressure physicians into signing or altering orders so that they could be billed in full. The DME supply companies owned by or affiliated with Foley allegedly received over $14 million in reimbursements from Medicare alone. Another defendant, Randal Fenton Wood, pleaded guilty in connection with the same conspiracy last year in EDNC. Court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on Pacer by searching for Case No. 5:25-CR-128-FL.
“Safeguarding the integrity of federal health care programs is central to our mission, and the results of this year’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown reflect the strength of our collective commitment. The cases announced today demonstrate not only the scale, but the seriousness of the misconduct uncovered, ranging from patient harming schemes to multibillion dollar fraud operations,” said Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General T. March Bell. “HHS-OIG will continue to pursue those who engage in such conduct and hold them accountable. I am grateful for the tireless work of our special agents and for the partnership we share with our federal, state, and local law enforcement colleagues as we work together to protect patients and preserve public funds.”
“Safeguarding TRICARE is essential to ensuring that resources remain available for our service members, retirees, and their families,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Allison Russo of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service (DCIS) Mid-Atlantic Field Office. “This indictment demonstrates DCIS’s commitment, together with our law‑enforcement partners, to identifying and addressing conduct that threatens the integrity of the Department of War’s health care programs.”
“Healthcare schemes steal taxpayer dollars and divert critical resources away from the veterans who depend on them,” said Inspector General Cheryl L. Mason, Department of Veterans Affairs Office of Inspector General (VA OIG). “The VA OIG will vigorously investigate anyone who seeks to defraud VA programs. We thank the U.S. Attorney’s Office and our law enforcement partners for their efforts in this investigation.”
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Ellis Boyle, U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, made the announcement. Department Health & Human Services Office of the Inspector General investigated the case with assistance from Department of Veterans Affairs Office of the Inspector General and Defense Criminal Investigative Services.
More information can be found at www.justice.gov/criminal-fraud/health-care-fraud-unit.
A copy of this press release is located on our website. Related court documents and information can be found on the website of the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of North Carolina or on PACER by searching for Case No. 5:26-CR-104-UA.
An indictment is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.
First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone Announces Ten Capital Region Actions: Five Arrests and Civil Settlements Involving Five PartiesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – Today, First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III announced criminal charges against five defendants and civil health care fraud and controlled substances settlements with five defendants. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
“Today’s announcement should put all fraudsters on notice,” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “Those who enrich themselves through stealing from the hardworking American taxpayers will be relentlessly investigated, prosecuted, and held accountable to the highest standard under the law. Together our partner agencies with the full support of the federal government, will use every available tool to identify fraud, dismantle criminal schemes, and recover taxpayer dollars. Health care fraud is not a victimless crime, every fraudulent claim submitted, every false bill paid, and every scheme designed to exploit our system steals from the taxpayers and exploits the integrity of programs that millions depend upon.”
The charges announced today by First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following individuals were charged in the Northern District of New York:
- Joseph Carl, 55, of Clifton Park, New York, and Randolph Ekstrom, a/k/a “Randy,” 48, of Canajoharie, New York, were charged by superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud and one count of conspiracy to pay healthcare kickbacks. As alleged in the superseding indictment, Carl and Ekstrom managed Carl’s Cab, a DBA entity owned by Carl, that was enrolled as a Medicaid transportation provider in New York State from at least January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2025. The defendants are charged with paying Medicaid recipients cash and other things of value in exchange for using Carl’s Cab to transport them to medical appointments, including methadone treatment facilities. The superseding indictment alleges the defendants fraudulently obtained $4,296,374.02 in Medicaid reimbursements paid to Carl’s Cab over the time-period of January 1, 2020 through March 31, 2025.
- Muhammad Zishan, a/k/a “Sean,” a/k/a “Shaun,” a/k/a “Shawn,” 47, of Glens Falls, New York, Madiha Javed, a/k/a “Maddie,” 34, of Glens Falls, New York, and Ghazali Shaikh, 21, of Latham, New York, were charged by superseding indictment with one count of conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud and Zishan and Javed were charged with one count of conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks. As alleged in the superseding indictment, Zishan, Javed, and Shaikh managed Latham Taxi Inc., which was enrolled as a Medicaid transportation provider in New York State from at least January 1, 2020 through February 28, 2025. The superseding indictment alleges Zishan and Javed conspired to pay Medicaid recipients cash, controlled substances, and other things of value in exchange for using Latham Taxi Inc. to transport them to medical appointments, including methadone treatment facilities. In addition, all three defendants are charged with conspiring to falsify trip data to fraudulently obtain Medicaid reimbursement by overbilling for services provided and billing for services that were not provided at all. The superseding indictment alleges the defendants fraudulently obtained $666,281.42 in Medicaid reimbursements paid to Latham Taxi Inc. over the time-period of January 1, 2020 through February 28, 2025. According to statements made by prosecutors at Shaikh’s arraignment on June 22, 2026, federal agents seized over $30,000 in cash and precious metals they contend are proceeds of the offenses during the execution of a search warrant at Shaikh’s residence.
The following parties entered civil settlement agreements in the Northern District of New York:
- Douglas C. Cline, M.D. P.C., doing business as Chronic Pain Management, formerly located in Queensbury, New York, its owner Douglas C. Cline, M.D., 67, of Saratoga Springs, New York, and nurse practitioner Laurie McKenna, 64, of Bolton Landing, New York, reached a civil settlement to pay $500,000 to resolve allegations that they prescribed high-dose opioids and other controlled substances to patients without adequate medical oversight, tied continued access to prescriptions to recurring cash payments, and that Dr. Cline fraudulently transferred assets to avoid payment of a potential judgment.
- Aptihealth Inc. and Aptihealth Medical, PLLC (collectively, “Aptihealth”), a telehealth behavioral health provider located in Clifton Park, New York, reached a civil settlement to pay $300,000 to the United States and the State of New York to resolve allegations that the company billed Medicare and Medicaid for services that were not rendered or not supported by adequate documentation, improperly billed administrative tasks as reimbursable medical services, provided gift cards to induce recipients to receive services, and failed to maintain an effective compliance program as required by New York law.
“I want to thank our partners for their continued efforts. We look forward to bringing more cases like this as we work together to protect the integrity of our healthcare system” said First Assistant U.S. Attorney Sarcone. “Although the New York State Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) was not involved in the cases announced today, they have a substantial responsibility ahead of them. New York’s Medicaid program now exceeds $100 billion, with more than half funded by federal taxpayers. Safeguarding those dollars requires an all of government approach and strong coordination across federal and state enforcement partners. I stand ready to work alongside them, bringing together both state and federal resources to protect the integrity of the program.”The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The Northern District of New York, in particular, worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division and the following law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the Takedown: the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); FBI; the Defense Criminal Investigative Service; the Drug Enforcement Administration; the Office of the New York State Comptroller; and the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Federal Jury Convicts Haitian National in Armed Robberies of Delivery Driver and Store ClerkRead the Press Release
INDIANAPOLIS- A federal jury has found Laurens Jean-Francois, 23, of Haiti, guilty of two counts of interference with commerce by robbery, two counts of brandishing a firearm during and in relation to a crime of violence, and possession of a firearm by an illegal alien.
According to court documents and evidence introduced at trial, Jean-Francois committed two armed robberies in Indianapolis over a three‑day period in July 2025.
On July 19, a Domino’s Pizza delivery driver arrived at the Scarborough Lake Apartments to deliver an order. As the victim knocked on the apartment door, Jean‑Francois approached from a stairwell holding a .556 caliber AR‑15 pistol. He demanded the driver’s wallet, cell phone, and food order before telling him to run. The victim later provided police with a description of the suspect, and the robbery was captured by external surveillance cameras.
Three days later, on July 22, Jean‑Francois entered the Xpress Pantry on North High School Road wearing a ski mask, clear latex gloves, and dark clothing. After initially asking a clerk to retrieve a phone charger kept in a locked display, Jean-Francois brandished the same AR‑15 pistol used in the previous robbery, demanding cash from the register.
IMPD officers arrested Jean‑Francois on July 29, 2025, during a traffic stop of a Ford Fusion in which he was a passenger. Officers observed the AR‑15 in plain view, leaning against the rear driver’s side door. Jean‑Francois was also wearing the same ski mask worn in the Xpress Pantry robbery.
Further investigation revealed he was unlawfully present in the United States, as his green card had expired in August 2024.
The FBI Indianapolis Field Office and the Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department investigated this case. U.S. District Judge Richard L. Young presided over the trial and will sentence Jean-Francois at a later date.
U.S. Attorney Wheeler thanked Assistant U.S. Attorneys, Matt Barloh and Michelle P. Brady for prosecuting the case, along with paralegal specialists Kayla Whitaker and Paige Carpenter, and Victim Witness Specialists Johnna Preidt and Maurine Bwambok.
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Federal Health Care Fraud Takedown Targets 455 Defendants and $6.5 Billion in False ClaimsRead the Press Release
KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Today, The Honorable R. Matthew Price, United States Attorney for the Western District of Missouri, announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud government health care benefits programs. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges include forgery and using fraudulent nursing credentials to Medicaid fraud.
“Every fraudulent claim diverts taxpayer dollars away from programs that are intended to support the health and well-being of American citizens,” said U.S. Attorney Price. “Healthcare fraud not only depletes critical resources but also threatens the long-term sustainability of essential healthcare services. Today’s enforcement action in the Western District of Missouri, along with coordinated efforts across the country conveys a strong message: individuals who engage in healthcare fraud will be identified, investigated, and held accountable for their actions.”
The charges announced today are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history.
In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following individuals were charged in the Western District of Missouri:
- Darcee Jo Heath, 38, of Linn Creek, Mo., was charged by complaint with forgery and using fraudulent nursing credentials. As alleged in the complaint, Heath forged and presented college records and a diploma claiming she graduated from a licensed practical nurse program in order to obtain employment at a hospital as a graduate practical nurse. The nurses responsible for overseeing Heath’s work recognized her incompetence, which lead to an investigation and her termination. The case is being prosecuted by Camden County, Missouri Prosecutor Richelle Grosvernor and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
- Romond E. Holt, 40, of Kansas City, Mo., was charged by complaint with false statement to receive a health care payment and stealing by deceit in connection with Medicaid fraud in the amount of $4,743.61. As alleged in the complaint, Holt submitted 32 claims for personal care services he purportedly provided to a Medicaid recipient between December 2023 and June 2024. These services were not provided because the Medicaid recipient was hospitalized and in long-term rehabilitation facilities during that time. The case is being prosecuted by Cole County Missouri, Prosecutor Wm. Locke Thompson and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
- Carolyn S. McGinnis, 75, of Richmond, Mo., was charged by complaint with false statement to receive a health care payment and stealing by deceit in connection with Medicaid fraud in the amount of $3,022.94. As alleged in the complaint, McGinnis, a Medicaid recipient, submitted 35 false claims purporting that her personal care attendant, S.M., was providing personal care services to McGinnis at McGinnis’s home. In fact, S.M. was not providing services and McGinnis was not living at home. The case is being prosecuted by Cole County Missouri, Prosecutor Wm. Locke Thompson and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
- Kevin E. Oliver, 30, of Independence, Mo., was charged by complaint with false statement to receive a health care payment and stealing by deceit in connection with Medicaid fraud in the amount of $6,171.40. As alleged in the complaint, Oliver filed 82 fraudulent claims with Medicaid purporting to have provided personal care services to Medicaid recipient, P.O., from January to July 2024. However, P.O. was hospitalized or in a long-term rehabilitation facility on the dates of service falsely claimed by Oliver. The case is being prosecuted by Cole County, Missouri Prosecutor Wm. Locke Thompson and the Missouri Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Nationally, the cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
National Fraud Enforcement Division
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Charges contained in any indictment, information, or complaint are simply accusations, and not evidence of guilt. Evidence supporting the charges must be presented to a federal trial jury, whose duty is to determine guilt or innocence.
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Dominican National Charged with Illegally Reentering U.S.Read the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, announced that ANEL DEL CARMEN ZAPATA POLANCO, also known as Anel Polanco, Anel Zapata Delcarme, and Anel Zapata, 42, a citizen of the Dominican Republic, was arrested today on a federal criminal complaint charging him with illegally reentering the United States after being deported.
As alleged in court documents and statements made in court, in February 2006, Zapata, under the name Anel Zapata Delcarme, was convicted in New York County Criminal Court of possession of a forged instrument third degree. He was sentenced to time served for the offense. In January 2016, Zapata, again under the name Anel Zapata Delcarme, was convicted in the U.S. District Court of the District of New Jersey of conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute heroin. He was sentenced to 57 months of imprisonment for the offense. On September 19, 2017, Zapata was removed to the Dominican Republic.
It is further alleged that Zapata illegally reentered the U.S. On February 11, 2026, Zapata, under the name Anel Zapata, was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court in New Haven of drug and firearm offenses and sentenced to 10 years of incarceration, execution suspended after three years. On February 24, 2026, Zapata was convicted in Connecticut Superior Court in Middletown of firearm possession and threatening offenses and sentenced to six years of incarceration, execution suspended after two years.
Zapata was arrested after he was released from state prison today. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Robert A. Richardson in Hartford and was ordered detained.
If convicted of the charge of unlawful reentry, Zapata faces a maximum term of imprisonment of 20 years.
U.S. Attorney Sullivan stressed that a complaint is only a charge and is not evidence of guilt. Charges are only allegations and a defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
This matter is being investigated by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), Enforcement and Removal Operations. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeraj N. Patel.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
District of Arizona Announces Charges Involving over $1.2 Billion in False or Fraudulent Claims as Part of National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Today, United States Attorney Timothy Courchaine announced criminal charges against four defendants in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health care programs of over $1.2 billion. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
“The billions of dollars of fraud highlighted in today’s announcement should shock and anger every American,” said U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine. “We must protect our valuable federal health care programs from exploitation by criminals. The message from the success of this takedown is clear – the United States government will protect taxpayer dollars and will prosecute those who seek to defraud our country.”
The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Timothy Courchaine are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following individuals were charged in the District of Arizona:
- Susie Kamien, 55, of West Chester, Illinois, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with submitting over $918 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound allografts. As alleged in the information, Kamien was a medical biller who submitted claims to Medicare for allografts that were medically unreasonable and unnecessary, and procured through illegal kickbacks and bribes. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Shane Butland and William Hochul III of the National Rapid Response Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams of the District of Arizona.
- Jimmy Muyumbu, 38, formerly of Glendale, Arizona, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to launder money, and money laundering, in connection with an alleged scheme involving a substance abuse treatment clinic in Arizona that billed Arizona Medicaid over $44 million. As alleged in the indictment, Muyumbu owned and operated an outpatient treatment center called Motherland Counseling LLC (“Motherland”) in Phoenix, Arizona, which was purportedly in the business of providing addiction treatment services for vulnerable patients suffering from alcohol and drug addiction. Muyumbu enrolled Motherland as a provider with Arizona’s Medicaid agency, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (“AHCCCS”). Muyumbu sought out patients enrolled in AHCCCS’s American Indian Health Program, a fee-for-service program for Native American AHCCCS members. Muyumbu and his co-conspirators exploited these patients by submitting approximately $44,920,644 in false and fraudulent claims to AHCCCS for services that were not provided, were not provided as billed, were so substandard that they failed to serve a treatment purpose, were not used as part of or integrated into any treatment plan, were tainted by illegal kickbacks and bribes, and, in some cases, were medically unnecessary. AHCCCS paid approximately $36,678,016 based on these fraudulent claims. Muyumbu then laundered the fraudulent proceeds by purchasing real estate in the greater Phoenix area. The government seized approximately $104,463 in proceeds from Muyumbu’s alleged fraud scheme. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorney Sarah Edwards and Assistant Chief Jim Hayes of the National Rapid Response Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams of the District of Arizona. Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Bozdech is handling the forfeiture aspects of the case.
- Sandra Peters, 45, of Saint Johns, Florida, was charged by information with conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with over $10 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound allografts. As alleged in the information, Peters was a sales representative who ordered and recommended allografts that were medically unreasonable and unnecessary, and procured through illegal kickbacks and bribes. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Shane Butland and William Hochul III of the National Rapid Response Strike Force and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams of the District of Arizona.
- Brian Rowan, 47, of Las Vegas, Nevada, was charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay health care kickbacks, paying health care kickbacks, and transactional money laundering, in connection with a $1.2 billion wound allograft scheme. As alleged in the Indictment, Rowan, the Vice President of Sales for a company that sold expensive amniotic wound allografts, caused hundreds of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks, bribes, and rebates to be paid to sales representatives and medical providers throughout the country to unlawfully induce purchases of the company’s allografts. Rowan and his co-conspirators concealed these kickbacks and bribes by issuing sham sales invoices to providers in amounts that exceeded the providers’ actual cost of the allografts and directing providers to use the amounts reflected on those invoices for Medicare reimbursement, thereby inflating Medicare’s reimbursements and concealing the providers’ undisclosed and unreported profits. Rowan and his co-conspirators further concealed the kickbacks and bribes by using pass-through bank accounts associated with a shell company to funnel the illegal kickbacks and bribes to providers in exchange for purchasing the company’s allografts. Induced by these unlawful financial incentives, sales representatives and providers targeted elderly patients, many of whom were terminally ill in hospice care, and caused medically unreasonable and unnecessary allografts to be applied to these vulnerable patients. Between December 2021 and June 2024, Rowan and his co-conspirators caused the submission of $1.2 billion in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare, TRICARE, CHAMPVA, and commercial insurers, of which approximately $614 million was paid. Rowan personally made over $24 million, which he used to purchase multi-million-dollar houses, million-dollar life insurance policies, luxury vehicles, and luxury watches. The case is being prosecuted by Trial Attorneys Shane Butland and William Hochul III of the National Rapid Response Strike Force, and Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Williams of the District of Arizona.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The District of Arizona, in particular, worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division and the following law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the Takedown: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the U.S. Department of Veteran’s Affairs Office of Inspector General, and the U.S. Department of War Defense Criminal Investigative Service.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
CASE NUMBER: U.S. v. Susie Kamien CR-26-0676-PHX-KML
U.S. v. Jimmy Muyumbu CR-26-0668-PHX-DJH
U.S. v. Sandra Peters CR-26-0673-PHX-SMB
U.S. v. Brian Rowan CR-26-0660-PHX-DGCRELEASE NUMBER: 2026-105_National Health Care Fraud Takedown
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For more information on the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, visit http://www.justice.gov/usao/az/
Follow the U.S. Attorney’s Office, District of Arizona, on Twitter @USAO_AZ for the latest news.Detroit Man Pleads Guilty to Federal Drug and Gun CrimesRead the Press Release
HUNTINGTON, W.Va. – Torriano Arzareus Johnson, 34, of Detroit, Michigan, pleaded guilty today to possession with intent to distribute a quantity of cocaine base, also known as “crack,” and possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime.
According to court documents and statements made in court, on March 11, 2026, Johnson was a passenger in a vehicle when it was pulled over by law enforcement officers in Huntington. As part of his guilty plea, Johnson admitted that once the vehicle stopped, he fled from the vehicle with a backpack that he threw over a fence as he ran from officers. Johnson further admitted that officers captured him and found in his pant leg approximately 29 grams of crack in a bag and $3,000 he obtained from selling drugs. Officers executed a search warrant for the backpack and found it contained a loaded Glock 43x 9mm pistol. Johnson admitted that he possessed the firearm to protect himself, the drugs, and the cash.
Johnson is scheduled to be sentenced on October 13, 2026, and faces a maximum penalty of 20 years in prison for possession with intent to distribute crack, a mandatory minimum of five years and up to life in prison for possession of a firearm in furtherance of a drug trafficking crime, up to five years of supervised release, and a fine of up to $1,250,000.
United States Attorney Moore Capito made the announcement and commended the investigative work of the Huntington Violent Crime and Drug Task Force and the Huntington Police Department.
United States District Judge Robert C. Chambers presided over the hearing. Assistant United States Attorney Stephanie Taylor is prosecuting the case.
This case is part of Operation Take Back America, a nationwide initiative that marshals the full resources of the Department of Justice to repel the invasion of illegal immigration, achieve the total elimination of cartels and transnational criminal organizations (TCOs), and protect our communities from the perpetrators of violent crime.
A copy of this press release is located on the website of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of West Virginia. Related court documents and information can be found on PACER by searching for Case No. 3:26-cr-41.
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Connecticut Lab and its Owner Pay over $145K to Settle Allegations of Medicaid Enrollment FraudRead the Press Release
David X. Sullivan, United States Attorney for the District of Connecticut, today announced that COASTAL DIAGNOSTICS, LLC, a reference laboratory located in Branford, and its owner, TRICIA CONROY, have entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments and have paid $145,720 to resolve allegations they made material misrepresentations to the Connecticut Medicaid program in their Provider Enrollment Application.
In order to participate in the Connecticut Medicaid program, providers must complete a Provider Enrollment Application. On or about March 6, 2024, Conroy, on behalf of Coastal Diagnostics, completed and submitted a Provider Enrollment Application to the Connecticut Medicaid program. One of the questions in the application asks: “Are any owners, partners, members, officers, directors, shareholders, or managing employees of applicant related by family, marriage, ownership, membership, control, or business relationship to any other provider that is currently, or within the last 5 years, has been, enrolled in the Connecticut Medical Assistance Program?” Conroy answered “No” to this question.
The United States and the State of Connecticut contend that this was a material misrepresentation, as Genco Lab, LLC, a reference laboratory located at the same business address as Coastal Diagnostics, was a Medicaid provider at the time. Genco Lab was owned by Conroy’s husband, and Conroy served as the Chief Operating Officer of Genco Lab. If the question had been answered truthfully and Coastal Diagnostics had disclosed its relationship with Genco Lab, Connecticut Medicaid would not have approved Coastal Diagnostics’ application because, at the time, Genco Lab was under a payment suspension and was being investigated for fraud.
After Coastal Diagnostics began submitting claims for laboratory services, Connecticut Medicaid learned that Coastal Diagnostics and Genco Lab were related and terminated Coastal Diagnostics’ provider agreement.
Based on the above, the U.S. and the State of Connecticut contend that the claims submitted by Coastal Diagnostics were false and fraudulent.
To resolve the government’s claims, Coastal Diagnostics and Conroy agreed to pay $145,720, which covers the time-period from March 6, 2024, to June 3, 2024.
In 2025, Genco Lab and its owners entered into a civil settlement agreement with the federal and state governments in which they paid $1,255,825 to settle allegations that they submitted false and fraudulent claims to government health care programs for medically unnecessary urine drug tests.
This matter was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Richard M. Molot and by Assistant Attorney General Christine Miller of the Connecticut Office of the Attorney General.
This announcement is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated enforcement action involving a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
People who suspect health care fraud are encouraged to report it by calling 1-800-HHS-TIPS or the Health Care Fraud Task Force at (203) 777-6311.
Colorado Man Charged in Medicaid Fraud Scheme Connected to Arapahoe County Adult DaycareRead the Press Release
DENVER – The United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado along with the Colorado Attorney General’s Office announces that Mohamed Elias Omer, 35, was indicted by a federal grand jury on twelve counts of illegal remunerations to induce Medicaid beneficiaries to attend Nadina Adult Daycare Center, LLC., located in Arapahoe County.
According to the indictment, Omer offered three $500 kickback payments in exchange for referrals of Medicaid beneficiaries for adult daycare, and $10,000 in other kickback payments described as “marketing expense(s)” or “office supply.”
Medicaid is a federal health care program that is funded through taxpayer dollars that are distributed by the state through the Colorado Department of Health Care Policy and Financing. Medicaid provides adult daycare services to qualified Medicaid beneficiaries.
The charges contained in the indictment are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The investigation is being conducted by the FBI Denver Field Office.
The prosecution is being handled by the United States Attorney’s Office for the District of Colorado and the Medicaid Fraud, Abuse & Neglect Unit in the Colorado Department of Law.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (‘Fraud Division’). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
Case Number: 26-cr-00140-DDD
Clifton Park Telehealth Company to Pay $300,000 to Resolve Allegations of Improper Billing for No-Show Visits and Other ServicesRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III announced today that Clifton Park-based Aptihealth, Inc. and Aptihealth Medical, PLLC (Aptihealth), a behavioral health provider operating a telehealth platform, will pay $300,000 to resolve False Claims Act allegations concerning its Medicare and Medicaid billing practices. This settlement is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
“Aptihealth submitted claims to Medicare and Medicaid that did not comply with program requirements,” said First Assistant United States Attorney Sarcone. “The integrity of these programs depends on accurate billing and adherence to established rules. I commend the former employee who brought these issues to the government’s attention. The Healthcare Fraud Task Force is committed to identifying and holding accountable those who act with disregard of taxpayer dollars.”
“Violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute and False Claims Act can negatively affect the integrity of federal health care programs, undermining resources upon which millions of beneficiaries depend. In this case, the defendants’ actions artificially created demand for services and siphoned off funds for services that were never provided,” said Naomi D. Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG is committed to working with our law enforcement partners to safeguard federal health care programs and ensure the return of funds that were falsely received.”
As part of the settlement, Aptihealth admitted responsibility for certain billing conduct described in the settlement agreement. This includes billing Medicare and Medicaid for patient appointments that did not occur because the patient was a “no-show,” billing for responses to patient messages without regard to whether such communications involved billable clinical content, and billing for psychological testing services that were not sufficiently documented.
Aptihealth also implemented an incentive program that involved a small number of patients who received a $25 gift card after attending a therapy session, which the United States contends violated the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Finally, Aptihealth admitted that its compliance program failed to meet certain New York statutory requirements relating to billing oversight, compliance monitoring, and training and education.
The settlement resolves a whistleblower lawsuit filed under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act by a former Aptihealth employee. The Act allows private persons to file civil actions on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Under the settlement, the whistleblower will receive approximately $51,000 of the settlement proceeds. The case is docketed with the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of New York under number 1:23-cv-878.
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. False Claims Act enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. False Claims Act matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and our False Claims Act work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of New York jointly investigated this matter with the Office of the New York Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Assistant U.S. Attorney Christopher Moran represented the United States.
Clarksville Physician Charged with Health Care Fraud Related to Controlled Substance Prescribing SchemeRead the Press Release
NASHVILLE – Ramon Aquino, 77, of Clarksville, Tennessee, has been charged by Information with one count of health care fraud in connection with a multi-year scheme involving the prescribing of controlled substances without a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice, announced Braden H. Boucek, United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee.
According to the Information, Aquino owned and operated North Clarksville Medical Center and prescribed medically unnecessary controlled substances to patients for more than five years. During that period, Aquino issued prescriptions totaling more than 1.08 million pills and doses of controlled substances. The Information alleges that many of those prescriptions were not issued for a legitimate medical purpose in the usual course of professional practice.
The Information further alleges that Aquino prescribed excessive and inappropriate quantities and combinations of controlled substances, resulting in medically unnecessary prescriptions being issued to patients and contributing to patient abuse, misuse, and addiction. Aquino allegedly failed to adequately monitor his patients' use and abuse of prescribed controlled substances and continued to prescribe excessive and inappropriate amounts of those drugs even after receiving warnings regarding his prescribing practices.
According to the Information, Aquino's conduct caused losses of approximately $335,621.73 to health care benefit programs.
“Medical professionals occupy positions of extraordinary trust and responsibility,” said U.S. Attorney Braden H. Boucek. “When that trust is abused through the unlawful prescribing of controlled substances, patients can suffer serious harm, addiction can flourish, and taxpayer-funded health care programs can be defrauded. Our office will continue working with our law enforcement partners to investigate and prosecute those who contribute to prescription drug abuse and health care fraud.”
This case is part of the Department of Justice's National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated nationwide law enforcement effort targeting health care fraud schemes that exploit patients, contribute to prescription drug abuse, and defraud federal health care programs.
This case was investigated by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Drug Enforcement Administration, and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation.
Assistant United States Attorney Chris Suedekum is prosecuting the case.
Information is merely an allegation. The defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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Civil Settlements Reached as Part of Department of Justice National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
Today, United States Attorney Kyle G. Bumgarner for the Western District of Kentucky announced civil settlements with 6 defendants in connection with false claims submitted to Medicaid. The civil settlements are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The civil settlements, totaling $23,816,217.60, stem from alleged fraudulent billings to Medicaid for services not provided or tainted by financial conflicts of interest.
“These settlements reflect our unwavering commitment to protecting vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries and ensuring the integrity of publicly funded programs,” said Kyle G. Bumgarner, United States Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky. “When providers place their own financial interests ahead of the people they serve, they not only break the law—they put elderly adults and individuals with disabilities at risk of losing the vital supports that allow them to remain safely in their homes. We will continue to hold accountable those who compromise the care our communities rely on.”
“This year’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown represents the greatest whole-of-government effort to combat health care fraud in our Nation’s history,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “Under the decisive leadership of President Donald Trump, Vice President JD Vance, the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, and our law enforcement partners, this administration has ushered in a new era of enforcement that will safeguard taxpayer dollars.”
The civil settlements announced today by U. S. Attorney Bumgarner are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The following individuals and entities agreed to civil settlements with the United States Attorney’s Office for the Western District of Kentucky:
Defendants Access Adult Health Day Care Center LLC (Access), Encore AHDC LLC (Encore), and Tatyanas Case Management LLC (TCM) and their respective owners agreed to collectively pay the United States $23,816,217.60 to resolve allegations they violated the False Claims Act, a federal statute that prohibits the submission of false claims for payment to Government programs, such as Medicaid. Serge Adamov, 56, of North Miami Beach, Florida, owned Access, Inna Frimerman, 50, of Overland Park, Kansas, owned Encore, and Tatyana Kolesnikova, 41, of Louisville, Kentucky owned TCM.
Access, Encore, and TCM provided services to Kentucky Medicaid beneficiaries through the Home and Community Based (HCB) Waiver Program. The HCB Waiver Program assists elderly individuals and people with physical disabilities in living as independently as possible in their communities. As part of this program, these providers were responsible for delivering conflict‑free case management services and in‑home attendant care, including tasks such as cooking and cleaning.
The United States alleges that Adamov, Frimerman and Kolesnikova had shared financial interests and maximized their profits by referring HCB Waiver beneficiaries to Access and Encore for attendant care services. The United States further alleges that Access and Encore then billed Medicaid for attendant care services which, in some instances, were not provided for as many hours as were billed and in others were not provided at all.
The civil settlement agreements resolve a lawsuit brought by a private citizen under the qui tam provisions of the False Claims Act. The civil case was filed in U.S. District Court for the Western District of Kentucky and is captioned United States ex rel. Bhatt v. Access, et al., Case No. 3:19-cv-452-RGJ-RSE.
Contemporaneous with the execution of their civil settlement, Tatyana Kolesnikova and TCM entered into a Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General. The CIA requires implementation of comprehensive compliance controls and claims reviews by an Independent Review Organization.
Assistant United States Attorney Matthew Weyand handled this matter for the United States with assistance from Auditor Phil Bezehertny and Investigator Cristal Fox. This case was also investigated by Kentucky Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control and the FBI Louisville Field Office.
“Health care fraud steals from taxpayers, exploits vulnerable patients, and puts lives at risk,” said U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr. “Today’s historic enforcement action sends a clear message: if you use our health care system to enrich yourself at the expense of patients or the American people, we will find you, we will prosecute you, and we will hold you accountable. HHS will continue working with our law enforcement partners to protect patients, safeguard taxpayer dollars, and restore integrity to our health care system.”
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
The claims resolved by the civil settlements are allegations only; there has been no determination of liability.
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Chinese National Sentenced in Conspiracy to Defraud Elderly VictimsRead the Press Release
Gainesville, Florida – Xin Liu, 40, a Chinese national living in Apopka, Florida, was sentenced to 27 months in federal prison for her material participation in an elder fraud scheme. John P. Heekin, United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida, announced the sentencing.
United States Attorney Heekin said: “We are unfortunately seeing a rise in the prevalence of elder fraud schemes orchestrated and executed by foreign nationals who target and financially exploit our senior citizens, depleting their life savings and leaving the victims destitute. Raising awareness of these threats is vitally important to preventing more seniors from falling prey to these fraudsters and their schemes. Our state and federal law enforcement partners are working hard to identify and dismantle those fraud schemes, and my office will continue to aggressively prosecute these fraudsters to the fullest extent of the law.”
Court records reflect that the defendant, a Chinese national residing in the United States with an H-1B visa, participated in a fraud scheme that used telephone calls and electronic messages to target elderly victims. Between July 22, 2025, and July 30, 2025, the defendant drove to at least six locations throughout Florida to pick up money from the elderly victims who were targeted in the fraud scheme, including one victim who lived in an assisted living community for seniors in Gainesville, Florida. In total, the defendant attempted to pick up over $95,000 from the victims and was paid using a portion of the fraudulently obtained proceeds. Liu’s actions created substantial financial hardship for at least one elderly victim.
“Stealing from seniors is not just a financial crime, it’s a betrayal of trust,” said FBI Jacksonville Special Agent in Charge Jason Carley. “Older Americans should never have to fear being targeted by criminals looking to drain their life savings. This sentence reflects the FBI’s commitment to protecting older Americans and holding those accountable who target them.”
“The abuse of elderly individuals is shameful and one of the most disturbing crimes affecting our nation,” said Special Agent in Charge Ron Loecker of IRS Criminal Investigation, Florida Field Office. “IRS-CI will continue to work hand-in hand with our partners and devote resources to protect the vulnerable by dismantling criminal activity that targets elderly victims.”
“These criminals preyed on our most vulnerable residents with sophisticated scams, impersonating federal agents to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars,” said Manatee County Sheriff Rick Wells. “Thanks to the swift work of our detectives and federal partners, we’ve stopped this operation and prevented further victims. We urge everyone to stay vigilant and report suspicious activity immediately.”
Gainesville Police Chief Nelson Moya said: “Those who prey on our senior citizens for financial gain should know there is no safe haven in Gainesville. These crimes do more than steal money—they exploit trust, create fear, and can cause significant financial hardship for people who are often living on fixed incomes.”
The case involved an investigation by the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Internal Revenue Service – Criminal Investigations, the Manatee County Sheriff’s Office and the Gainesville Police Department. Assistant United States Attorney Adam Hapner prosecuted the case.
If you or someone you know is age 60 or older and has experienced financial fraud, experienced professionals are standing by at the National Elder Fraud Hotline 1-833-FRAUD-11 (1-833-372-8311). This Justice Department hotline, managed by the Office for Victims of Crime, can provide personalized support to callers by assessing the needs of the victim and identifying relevant next steps. Case managers will identify appropriate reporting agencies, provide information to callers to assist them in reporting, connect callers directly with appropriate agencies and provide resources and referrals, on a case-by-case basis. Reporting is the first step. Reporting can help authorities identify those who commit fraud and reporting certain financial losses due to fraud as soon as possible can increase the likelihood of recovering losses. The hotline is open Monday through Friday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. ET. English, Spanish, and other languages are available.
More information about the department’s efforts to help American seniors is available at www.justice.gov/elderjustice. For more information about the Consumer Protection Branch and its enforcement efforts visit www.justice.gov/civil/consumer-protection-branch. Elder fraud complaints can be filed with the FTC at www.reportfraud.ftc.gov/ or at 877-FTC-HELP. The Justice Department provides a variety of resources relating to elder fraud victimization through its Office for Victims of Crime, at www.ovc.gov.
The United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Florida is one of 94 offices that serve as the nation’s principal litigators under the direction of the Attorney General. To access public court documents online, please visit the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Florida website. For more information about the United States Attorney’s Office, Northern District of Florida, visit https://www.justice.gov/usao-ndfl.
Child Sex Offender Sentenced to 18 months for Violating Federal Registration RequirementsRead the Press Release
MOBILE, AL – A South Carolina man was sentenced today to 18 months in prison for failing to comply with federal sex offender registration and notification laws.
According to court documents, Will Taite, 63, was convicted for Criminal Sexual Conduct with a Minor in August of 2018 out of Berkeley County, South Carolina. Taite was sentenced to 5 years’ incarceration. Taite was required to wear a GPS location monitor after being released from state prison. In September of 2025, Taite left South Carolina and traveled by Greyhound bus to Mobile, Alabama. When he arrived in Mobile on September 27, 2025, he cut off his ankle monitoring device. Law enforcement began looking for him in the last known location of the monitor. Ultimately, he was found to be residing in downtown Mobile and apprehended on October 15, 2025. He never notified his South Carolina probation officer or the Mobile County Sheriff’s Office of his relocation as required by federal law.
When Taite is released from the Bureau of Prisons, he will be on supervised release for five years. Taite is also required to participate in mental health and sex offender treatment. He is prohibited from having contact with minors.
U.S. Attorney Sean Costello of the Southern District of Alabama the announcement.
The United States Marshals Service investigated the case.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Tandice H. Blackwood prosecuted the case on behalf of the United States.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse. Led by the United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division's Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section, Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who sexually exploit children, and to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit www.usdoj.gov/psc. For more information about Internet safety education, please visit https://www.justice.gov/psc/publications-resources.
Charlotte Man Charged with Defrauding the North Carolina Medicaid Program Out of Hundreds of Thousands of Dollars; Announcement Made as Part of Justice Department’s National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Today, United States Attorney Russ Ferguson announced that Ronnie Lorenzo Robinson, Jr., 56, of Charlotte, is charged with health care fraud, making false statements relating to health care matters, and aggravated identity theft in connection with a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting claims for psychotherapy services that were never provided to Medicaid recipients. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown announced today.
As alleged in the indictment, Robinson, the beneficial owner of a company called The Fisher of Men Project, LLC, obtained the personal identifying information of medical professionals and Medicaid recipients, then used that information to submit to Medicaid approximately $735,000 in false reimbursement claims for psychotherapy services, without the knowledge, authorization, or approval of those medical professionals or the Medicaid recipients. Robinson’s company received approximately $440,000 as payment from Medicaid as a result of the fraudulent reimbursement claims. As further alleged, Robinson concealed his ownership of the company because he had previously been excluded from Medicaid and instead held out another individual as the owner of the company.
“Part of the reason healthcare costs are out of control is because of fraud like this,” said U.S. Attorney Russ Ferguson. “Every dollar spent on healthcare should go toward healthcare—not lining the pockets of criminals. We will work night and day to uncover fraud like this and recover the money that is needlessly being paid in both taxes and healthcare costs.”
“Healthcare fraud schemes drain taxpayer-funded government programs designed to help those in need and raise healthcare costs for all Americans. The FBI and our partners work diligently to hold criminals accountable who defraud the government and to protect the integrity of the programs for those who truly need them,” said FBI Charlotte Special Agent in Charge Reid Davis.
“I’m grateful for the state and federal partnerships that help us find fraud and prosecute criminals,” said Attorney General Jeff Jackson. “Our Medicaid Investigations Division is one of the best in the country, and we’re going to protect taxpayer dollars so they can go where they’re intended – to taxpayers’ health care.”
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The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Ferguson are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in the Western District of North Carolina worked with the FBI, and the North Carolina Medicaid Investigations Division to investigate and prosecute the case filed during the Takedown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Katherine Armstrong and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Fleisch of the Western District of North Carolina are prosecuting the case.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
Carl’s Cab Operators Charged in $4.2 Million Medicaid Fraud and Kickback SchemeRead the Press Release
ALBANY, NEW YORK – A federal grand jury has returned a superseding indictment charging Joseph Carl, age 55, of Saratoga County, New York, and Randolph Ekstrom, a/k/a “Randy,” age 48, of Saratoga County, New York, with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud and conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks in connection with Medicaid transportation services. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
The announcement was made by First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III, Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz, and New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli. This prosecution is part of the Trump Administration’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud.
“The superseding indictment alleges a sustained scheme to exploit the Medicaid program through false claims, inflated billing, and unlawful kickbacks,” said First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III. “If proven, this conduct reflects a deliberate effort to convert a taxpayer-funded health care program into a source of illicit profit, including by paying recipients with cash to facilitate fraudulent claims. My office will hold accountable those who corrupt public programs and divert public funds away from legitimate health care services and the patients who depend on them.”
“These allegations describe deceptive actions—billing for services not rendered and bribing beneficiaries—that divert essential financial resources from the Medicaid program and the legitimate medical care it is meant to provide,” stated Naomi D. Gruchacz, Special Agent in Charge of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS-OIG will continue working with our law enforcement partners to ensure that individuals suspected of abusing federal health care programs are investigated and, when appropriate, brought to justice."
“As alleged in the superseding indictment, Mr. Carl and Mr. Ekstrom stole over $4 million from critical Medicaid funds” said FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli. “Americans expect government funds to be used as intended, and this investigation proves the FBI will work with our Healthcare Fraud Task Force partners to leverage any resource necessary to investigate and hold accountable anyone looking to take advantage of our systems and line their own pockets at the expense of hardworking Americans.”According to the superseding indictment, between approximately January 2020 and March 2025, the defendants operated and were associated with Carl’s Cab, a Medicaid-enrolled transportation provider. Medicaid is a federal and state health care program that reimburses providers for medically necessary services, including non-emergency transportation to medical appointments.
The superseding indictment alleges that the defendants engaged in a scheme to defraud Medicaid by submitting and causing the submission of claims for transportation services that were not provided, not medically necessary, or improperly inflated. The alleged fraudulent billing included claims for “ghost rides,” claims for trips in which Medicaid recipients were not transported or not seen by medical providers, and claims that improperly increased reimbursement by treating group transportation as multiple individual trips.
The superseding indictment further alleges that the defendants paid cash and controlled substances to Medicaid recipients to induce them to use Carl’s Cab as their transportation provider. These payments were intended to generate additional Medicaid reimbursements and to sustain the fraudulent billing scheme. During the course of the investigation, law enforcement recovered photographs depicting large amounts of U.S. currency prepared for distribution in furtherance of the alleged kickback scheme.
As alleged, the defendants caused the submission of false and fraudulent claims through the New York State Department of Health, which processed Medicaid reimbursements through systems located in Rensselaer County and transmitted payments through interstate wire communications. The alleged conduct resulted in the fraudulent receipt of at least $4,296,374.02 in Medicaid funds.
Carl and Ekstrom are charged with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and health care fraud, which carries a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. Carl and Ekstrom are also charged with conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, which carries a maximum sentence of five years in prison, a fine of up to $250,000, and a term of supervised release of up to three years. A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
As alleged in the superseding indictment, on August 17, 2023, Carl prepared cash payments to Medicaid recipients and messaged an acquaintance, “I’m stuffing envelopes!!!! $23,500!!!” and attached an unredacted version of the following photograph showing money used for bribes.
In addition, the superseding indictment alleges that on November 2, 2023, Carl prepared cash payments to Medicaid recipients and messaged an acquaintance, “Getting ready to stuff. $27,000 in envelopes for the junkies” and attached an unredacted version of the following photograph showing money used for the bribes:
Carl and Ekstrom were arraigned yesterday in Albany, New York, before United States Magistrate Judge Paul J. Evangelista, and were released pending trial scheduled for a date to be determined before United States District Judge Anthony J. Brindisi.
The charges in the superseding indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
The Northern District of New York worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division, together with the FBI, HHS-OIG, and the New York State Comptroller’s Office, with additional assistance from the New York State Office of the Medicaid Inspector General.
Assistant United States Attorneys Benjamin S. Clark and Adam J. Katz are prosecuting the case.
Bucks County Man Indicted on Child Sexual Exploitation ChargesRead the Press Release
PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced that Charles Dingman, 29, of Yardley, Pennsylvania, was arrested and charged by indictment with use of an interstate commerce facility to entice a minor, and attempt to entice a minor, to engage in sexual conduct; manufacture and attempted manufacture of child pornography; and possession of child pornography.
The indictment alleges that, from approximately June 2025 to October 2025, Dingman used the internet to sexually exploit a minor, persuading the child to engage in sexually explicit conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of that conduct. The indictment further alleges that Dingman possessed child pornography on or about January 29, 2026.
If convicted, the defendant faces a maximum possible sentence of life imprisonment with a mandatory minimum term of 15 years in prison.
This case was brought as part of Project Safe Childhood, a nationwide initiative to combat the growing epidemic of child sexual exploitation and abuse launched in May 2006 by the Department of Justice. Led by United States Attorneys’ Offices and the Criminal Division’s Child Exploitation and Obscenity Section (CEOS), Project Safe Childhood marshals federal, state, and local resources to better locate, apprehend, and prosecute individuals who exploit children via the internet, as well as to identify and rescue victims. For more information about Project Safe Childhood, please visit projectsafechildhood.gov.
The case was investigated by Bucks County Detectives and the FBI and is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Branwen McNabb O’Donnell.
The charges and allegations contained in the indictment are merely accusations. Every defendant is presumed to be innocent unless and until proven guilty in court.
Beaverton Man Sentenced to 10 Years in Federal Prison for Possession with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl and Felon in Possession of a FirearmRead the Press Release
PORTLAND, Ore.—A Beaverton, Oregon, man was sentenced to federal prison last Wednesday for possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and for illegally possessing a firearm as a felon.
Roberto Ochoa-Vergara, 29, was sentenced to a total of 120 months in federal prison and a total of four years of supervised release.
According to court documents, on February 7, 2025, Ochoa-Vergara and a co-conspirator sold 128 grams of fentanyl out of the trunk of Ochoa-Vergara’s car. On March 5, 2025, Ochoa-Vergara sold almost 400 grams of fentanyl and a pistol.
On March 7, 2025, a Hillsboro Police Department officer found Ochoa-Vergara unconscious, slumped over while sitting in the passenger seat of a vehicle partially blocking the road. A search of Ochoa-Vergara and the vehicle revealed over $10,000 in cash, three bags totaling over 300 grams of fentanyl powder, and small bags containing cocaine, heroin, and methamphetamine.
Pursuant to a search warrant of Ochoa-Vergara’s residence, investigators found a pistol and over one kilogram of fentanyl powder.
On March 18, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned an indictment charging Ochoa-Vergara with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and methamphetamine, and felon in possession of a firearm. On April 2, 2026, Ochoa-Vergara pleaded guilty to possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm.
On August 12, 2025, a federal grand jury in Portland returned another indictment charging Ochoa-Vergara, along with his co-conspirators, with possession with intent to distribute fentanyl and felon in possession of a firearm.
On April 2, 2026, Ochoa-Vergara pleaded guilty to Count 1 of the Indictment charging possession of fentanyl with intent to distribute.
U.S. Attorney Scott E. Bradford for the District of Oregon made the announcement.
The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives and the Drug Enforcement Administration investigated these cases, with assistance from the Hillsboro Police Department and Washington County Sheriff’s Office.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Nicole Bockelman prosecuted the cases.
This case is part of Project Safe Neighborhoods (PSN), a program bringing together all levels of law enforcement and the communities they serve to reduce violent crime and gun violence, and to make our neighborhoods safer for everyone. On May 26, 2021, the Department launched a violent crime reduction strategy strengthening PSN based on these core principles: fostering trust and legitimacy in our communities, supporting community-based organizations that help prevent violence from occurring in the first place, setting focused and strategic enforcement priorities, and measuring the results. For more information about Project Safe Neighborhoods, please visit Justice.gov/PSN.
Bahamian National Pleads Guilty to Illegal Firearm PossessionRead the Press Release
MIAMI – A Bahamian national who was unlawfully present in the U.S. and wanted for murder in the Bahamas pleaded guilty in federal court to possessing a firearm as an illegal alien.
According to court records, Shelton Thompson, 38, of the Bahamas, has been unlawfully present in the U.S. since August 2024. During a traffic stop, law enforcement encountered Thompson and determined that he was illegally present in the U.S. after initiating a traffic stop. A subsequent search of his residence uncovered a firearm that Thompson was prohibited from possessing under federal law.
“South Florida's proximity to international borders makes vigorous enforcement of immigration and firearms laws essential to public safety,” said U.S. Attorney Jason A. Reding Quiñones for the Southern District of Florida. “Individuals who enter or remain in this country unlawfully and illegally possess firearms will be investigated and prosecuted. We will continue to use every lawful tool available to protect our communities from dangerous offenders.”
Thompson faces up to 15 years in federal prison. A federal district court judge will determine any sentence after considering the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones and Special Agent in Charge Brett Skiles of the FBI, Miami Field Office, made the announcement.
FBI Miami is investigating the case, with assistance from U.S. Border Patrol and U.S. Coast Guard.
Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Jeffrey Pierce is prosecuting the case.
This case is being prosecuted by the Border and Immigration Crimes Enforcement (BICE) Section. BICE was created by U.S. Attorney Reding Quiñones in November of 2025 to strengthen South Florida’s border security posture, protect maritime and land points of entry, enforce federal immigration law, and dismantle transnational smuggling networks operating through the region. The Section brings together narcotics, immigration, fraud, and violent-crime expertise into a single coordinated unit focused on border-driven threats.
Related court documents and information may be found on the website of the District Court for the Southern District of Florida at www.flsd.uscourts.gov or at http://pacer.flsd.uscourts.gov, under case number 26-cr-20087.
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Arkansas Woman Indicted for Identity Theft and Impersonating a Registered Nurse in Tennessee as Part of the National Health Care Fraud TakedownRead the Press Release
Memphis, TN – Today, United States Attorney D. Michael Dunavant announced criminal charges against a defendant in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud multiple healthcare agencies. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges stem from a multi-year scheme to impersonate a licensed registered nurse, identity theft, and wire fraud.
U.S. Attorney D. Michael Dunavant said, “Eliminating fraud by medical personnel and others who misuse their positions of trust to blatantly disregard and endanger the lives of others for their own financial gain is a top priority for this administration. We thank our federal agency partners for their diligent and thorough investigations to root out healthcare fraud, and we stand ready to hold offenders accountable for their crimes of dishonesty."
The charges announced today by U.S. Attorney Dunavant are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of over $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor’s offices to corporate boardrooms.
Today’s coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:
- Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
- 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
- Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
- 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
In the Western District of Tennessee, Heather May Wilbanks Greene, 40, of Lepanto, Arkansas, was charged with two counts of identity theft and one count of wire fraud for allegedly engaging in a multi-year scheme to impersonate a registered nurse and obtain employment across Tennessee and Arkansas.
As alleged in the indictment, from September 2020 through October 2023, Greene practiced as a registered nurse using the stolen license numbers of two registered nurses in Tennessee. Greene never completed nursing school, never passed the NCLEX‑RN (National Council Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses), and was never licensed as a registered nurse. Despite this, Greene submitted false resumes misrepresenting her education, experience, and licensure status to obtain employment at more than 30 different health care facilities including nursing homes and correctional institutions. While employed, Greene allegedly performed duties reserved for licensed nurses, such as providing medical treatment, administering medications, accessing confidential medical information, and evaluating patient conditions. As a result of the fraud, Greene received $200,000 in wages and compensation to which she was not legally entitled. If convicted on all charges, Greene faces up to 20 years in federal prison, up to $250,000 in fines, or both, a special assessment fee of $100, and three years of supervised release. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant United States Attorney Raney Irwin of the Western District of Tennessee.
The cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit’s National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys’ Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General’s Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virginia participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.
Descriptions of each case involved in today’s enforcement action are available on the Department’s website here.
The Western District of Tennessee, in particular, worked with the Department’s Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division and the following law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the Takedown: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI).
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.
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