Nearly $15 billion was reported in losses in the most expensive health care fraud in United States history, Federal Bureau of Investigation Deputy Director Dan Bongino said Monday.
“Today, in conjunction with the DOJ and our federal partners, we are announcing the results from the largest healthcare fraud investigation, as measured by financial losses, in DOJ history,” Bongino posted on X, formerly Twitter.
Why It Matters
In all, 50 federal districts were part of the investigation, which resulted in 324 defendants, including 96 medical professionals, being charged, and the seizure of $245 million, according to Bongino.
Further information on the scope and subject of the investigation was not immediately available.
“We view the theft of public funds the same way. It’s a crime against all of us…Results matter. Talk is cheap. And this is not even the beginning of the beginning. If you’re stealing from the public, or violating your oath to serve, then we’re coming for you too,” Bongino said.
A seal reading “Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation” displayed at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
A seal reading “Department of Justice Federal Bureau of Investigation” displayed at the FBI headquarters in Washington, D.C.
Photo by STEFANI REYNOLDS/AFP via Getty Images
What To Know
Matthew Galeotti, head of the Criminal Division at the Department of Justice, said approximately $14.6 million was submitted in false claims to Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs.
“Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers, who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice,” Galeotti said at a press conference.
Galeotti said these schemes can increase the national deficit and threaten the long-term viability of health care for seniors, individuals with disabilities and other citizens who need these programs.
Luxury vehicles and properties were also seized, Galeotti said. The DOJ identified and charged defendants operating from Russia, Pakistan and other foreign countries.
Galeotti said one example of what the investigation uncovered was a scheme involving an operation by individuals from Russia and Eastern Europe who purchased dozens of medical supply companies in the U.S. and submitted more than $10 billion in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare.
He said the perpetrators used the stolen identities of more than 1 million Americans in all 50 states. Key members of the organization were arrested by federal agents at U.S. airports and the U.S.-Mexico border.
“We charged pill mill operators who prescribed unnecessary opioids,” Galeotti said. “We dismantled networks of corrupt pharmacies that existed solely to distribute drugs to addicts and dealers, feeding the addiction crisis that has devastated so many American communities.”
What People Are Saying
Matthew Galeotti, head of the Criminal Division at the DOJ, at a press conference: “The days of transnational criminal organizations using the American healthcare programs as their personal piggy bank are over.”
Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins, at a press conference: “The results announced today were only possible through a strong partnership of federal and state agencies. By working shoulder to shoulder, we harness the best information, tools, and expertise to find criminals no matter where they hide and no matter how they try to disguise their crimes.”
What Happens Next
The DOJ said it is collaborating with several federal agencies, including the FBI and the Department of Health and Human Services, to create a health care data fusion center to “revolutionize” the detection, investigation and prosecution of health care fraud.
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Update 6/30/25, 1:11 p.m. ET: This article was updated with additional information.