Feds announce major fraud busts in Ohio

The Department of Justice on Thursday announced a series of anti-fraud actions in Ohio as part of a broader effort to crack down on public fraud nationwide.

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald, FBI Director Kash Patel, and Small Business Administration Director Kelly Loeffler, and Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Director Dr. Mehmet Oz all participated in the press conference.

"Today, Ohio’s fraud-fighting team is uniting with us in historic ways to contribute uniquely to the fight against fraud," McDonald said.

Oz detailed a string of fraud findings involving illegitimate recipients of public funds for healthcare.

"Unfortunately, this area around Columbus is responsible for 1/3 of all of the $1.5B spent on home healthcare in Ohio... that's 3x what you would expect... it defies belief. Some of these buildings were vacant," he said.

Loeffler, meanwhile, announced the discovery of $1.1 billion in Paycheck Protection Program fraud and the suspension of more than 27,000 Ohio borrowers.

Patel, for his part, unveiled a new FBI list of the nation's most wanted fraudsters, saying "I want all Americans to take a look at these Most Wanted individuals, and look at the amounts—the tens of millions and billions of dollars in fraud... Let us know any information."

Ben Whedon is the Chief Political Correspondent for Just the News. Follow him on X.