Today, the U.S. Attorney’s Office announced healthcare fraud charges against 13 people in the Northern District of Texas for seven different cases that federal officials say targeted vulnerable people and exploited taxpayer-funded programs. United States Attorney Ryan Raybould said the hundreds of millions of dollars in fraudulent healthcare claims were submitted to Medicare, Tricare and other insurers. “These cases represent collective fraudulent billing of more than $365-million,” said Raybould, “The defendants in some of these cases diverted funds intended to serve vulnerable populations, including those folks who are elderly Medicare beneficiaries and members of the military, to line their own pockets.” Federal officials say they’ve seized more than $35 million in cash, luxury vehicles, and other assets. One North Texas case referenced at a press conference on Tuesday involved a skin-graft company that offered wound-care products billed to Medicare beneficiaries in exchange for kickbacks, resulting in $260 million in false and fraudulent claims. Another case Raybould referenced involved a psychological counselor in North Texas who is accused of providing medically unnecessary therapy billed to Tricare for military veterans. “Some of those individuals, in fact, never received any therapy at all or treatment,” said Raybould, “Yet the defendant billed Tricare for over $26 million in false and fraudulent claims.” The crackdown comes amid a federal initiative to identify and prosecute healthcare fraud called The Texas Strike Force, based in Houston and Dallas. “The Texas Strike Force is really a force multiplier, and we’re lucky to have them here,” Raybould said. “We’re going to continue to deepen our partnership with them as we bring these impactful cases. But let me be clear, if you are a fraudster in the Northern District of Texas, we will pursue you aggressively and hold you accountable under the law.” Jason E. Meadows of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office ofInspector General’s for the Dallas region said fraudulent charges in North Texas engaged in a “Wide range of criminal conduct, including illegal kickbacks, medically unnecessary genetic testing, unnecessary durable medical equipment, billing over-the-counter COVID-19 test kits to deceased individuals andfraudulent EEG testing in hospice fraud schemes that siphoned money from dying patients who actually need the service.” Meadows explained that these cases are part of a nationwide effort to ensure Tricare, the health care program for service members, is not exploited. “Today’s takedown shines a bright light on fraudulent schemes that have targeted Tricare for years. These are not victimless crimes, said Meadows. “They threaten medical readiness. They undermine the trust in our military health care system, and they divert funds intended for legitimate care.” The U.S. Justice Department announced 455 charges nationwide on Tuesday, totaling more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud. The release from the DOJ says the takedown also involved international efforts, resulting in the apprehension of fugitives abroad, a defendant in Kyrenia connected to a more than $3.7 billion scheme, two defendants in Estonia previously charged in a $10.6 billion scheme, and in the Philippines, one person was arrested in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. “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.” ...read more read less