DOJ announces 455 charged in $6.5 billion healthcare fraud 'takedown'

The Justice Department on Tuesday announced a historic healthcare fraud "takedown," saying the operation uncovered $6.5 billion in false government healthcare claims and charges against 455 defendants.

The cases are part of the DOJ's annual National Health Care Fraud Takedown and targeted a wide range of alleged schemes involving Medicare, Medicaid and other government-funded health care programs, according to ABC7. 

Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said at a press conference at DOJ headquarters, in Washington, D.C., announcing the operation that the $6.5 billion was the second-largest amount ever charged in a single healthcare fraud operation.

He was joined by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr., who said: “If you exploit patients for profit, if you steal Medicaid or Medicare dollars, if you treat taxpayer dollars as your personal bank account, we will investigate you. We will build the case, and we will bring you to justice.”

He also said others participating in the operation that led to the charges included other federal agencies, U.S. territories and 45 states – 18 of which were blue states with Democratic governors.

Defendants allegedly took part in false billing, kickback arrangements, unnecessary medical services, and more to wrongfully obtain taxpayer-funded healthcare dollars, according to ABC7.

One specific case involving alleged fraudulent EKG testing that was allegedly read incorrectly, leading to the death of a University of Mobile basketball player, Kaiden Francis. His EKG was reportedly reviewed in 11 seconds. His mother said his heart was 2.5 times the normal size.

Francis' mother said she hopes the doctor "rots" behind bars.

“The doctor is as bad as any greedy criminal who is killing people in the streets. I hope he rots in jail so no one else is hurt, but my son will never come back to me. That’s the real human cost that we were speaking of on the stage.”

A University of Mobile spokesperson said Francis had before collapsing at a 2024 team workout passed "a battery of health screenings, including heart and lung evaluations" prior to his death and that "none of these tests indicated health concerns."

The healthcare fraud takedown has become one of the largest coordinated fraud enforcements in the country.