DALLAS—Twelve defendants were arrested this morning on various charges, outlined in five indictments, regarding their respective roles in several unrelated health care fraud conspiracies involving more than $100 million in fraudulent billings to Medicare, announced U.S. Attorney Sarah R. Saldaña of the Northern District of Texas. Two additional defendants that are named in the indictments are already in federal custody. Defendants will begin making their initial court appearances this afternoon.
“With the indictments unsealed today, over the last 18 months, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force in Northern District of Texas has charged defendants with close to one-half billion dollars of fraud and have sent a clear message that we will protect tax payers’ dollars and the Medicare program,” said U.S. Attorney Saldaña.
“Today’s indictments are part of a nationwide effort by HHS-OIG, the FBI, state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, and U.S. Attorney’s Offices to crack down on the most virulent form of health care fraud, fraud using stolen identities,” said Special Agent in Charge Mike Fields of the Dallas Regional Office of HHS’s Office of the Inspector General. “In one of the cases charged today, the defendants submitted claims for services to Medicare patients whose only connection to the defendants were that their names happened to be on a list of stolen Medicare ID numbers the defendants had obtained. The patients never visited the defendants’ business and never received any of the diagnostic tests and office visits for which their Medicare benefits were charged.”
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