DOJ takes down sick $14.6B health care fraud scheme that saw patients given ‘unnecessary’ procedures - New York Post
WASHINGTON — Hundreds were charged Monday in connection with $14.6 billion worth of health care fraud schemes that included supplying millions of opioid pills to drug dealers and giving elderly patients on hospice care “unnecessary” wound grafts, the Department of Justice announced.
The operation, which the department called the largest health care fraud takedown in its history, collared 324 defendants, including members of transnational criminal groups and American doctors and pharmacists.
The sick schemes caused an actual loss to the federal coffers of about $2.9 billion, officials said, with the feds also seizing as much as $245 million “in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets” in the sweeping crackdown.
“Make no mistake — this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities,” Attorney General Pam Bondi added.
DOJ Criminal Division head Matthew Galeotti said some of the ill-gotten gains came at the cost of exacerbating the nation’s opioid epidemic and harming those fighting against drug addiction.
One scheme involved the trafficking of more than 15 million prescription opioid pills — including oxycodone, hydrocodone and carisoprodol — from pharmacists to street drug dealers to users.
“Health care fraud isn’t just theft — it’s trafficking in trust. Today’s announcement shows that when doctors become drug dealers and treatment centers become profit-driven...
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