During a massive nationwide sweep, the US Department of Justice revealed charges against more than 320 individuals associated with a whopping $14.6 billion in bogus health care claims, in a development being termed by officials as the greatest single crackdown in DOJ history, according to a report published by The Associated Press on Tuesday.
Greatest Single Crackdown in DOJ History
The multi-agency operation, spanning state and federal prosecutors, exposed elaborate schemes worldwide, right from Russia and Eastern Europe to Pakistan. According to the report, enforcement officials seized over $245 million in cash, cryptocurrency, luxury cars and other properties.
“These criminals didn’t steal another person’s money. They stole your money,” the US-based agency quoted Matthew Galeotti, director of the DOJ’s criminal division, as saying at a Monday press conference. “Every false claim, every fictitious bill, every kickback scheme means money stolen directly from the pockets of American taxpayers who fund these vital programs through hard work and sacrifice.”
Criminal Networks Exploit Medicare
Of the more than 280 cases filed since June 9, almost 100 of those involved licensed medical practitioners—25 of whom were doctors, as reported by the Associated Press. Officials estimate that $2.9 billion of the fraud translated into actual losses to Medicare and Medicaid.
Among the most egregious of the schemes was a $10 billion urinary catheter scam. Code-named Operation Gold Rush, the investigation found that foreign straw owners were quietly buying dozens of American medical supply firms, then employed pirated health information to submit fraudulent Medicare claims.
The Justice Department report stated that over one million Americans had their information pilfered as part of the operation. Nineteen people have been charged, with arrests both overseas and at US borders.
The Justice Department, while cautioning that the fraud is becoming more sophisticated, urged cooperation to safeguard taxpayer money and public faith.
