Laura Ingraham: Scammers beware!
The Justice Department announces the largest health care fraud bust in US history, charging 455 defendants in 45 states. They allegedly stole $6.5 billion from Medicare and Medicaid through wound care programs and other fraudulent claims. Other funds were spent on luxury homes and cars such as a $135,000 Maserati.
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Federal authorities on Tuesday charged 10 Southern California defendants in a series of health care fraud schemes, including one case involving nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims and another accused of defrauding Medicare of about $27 million.
The cases were part of the Justice Department’s “National Health Care Fraud Reduction” initiative of 2026, which resulted in the indictment of 455 defendants across the country in schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche described the operation as “the largest federal and state effort to combat health care fraud in history.”
“Fraudsters will no longer be able to defraud American taxpayers,” Blanche said at a press conference announcing the plan. “If you want to harm or defraud the American people, we will find you, seize any assets and prosecute you to the fullest extent of the law.”
FBI MAKES 2 FUGITIVES ON ‘MOST WANTED FRAUDSTERS’ LIST AMONG $6.5B OF LIABILITY SEIZED: PATEL
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche speaks during a news conference announcing what federal officials described as the largest crackdown on health care corruption in American history, resulting in the indictment of 455 defendants across the country. (Ken Cedeno/AFP via Getty Images)
In the Central District of California, federal prosecutors have indicted 10 defendants accused of defrauding state-sponsored health care programs or abusing their positions as medical professionals to illegally prescribe controlled substances.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California said five people have been arrested in the greater Los Angeles area for allegedly participating in a scheme that involved submitting nearly $270 million in fraudulent Medi-Cal claims for expensive prescription drugs.
Among those charged was Christina Mareik, 61, also known as Christina Marie Sanchez Hernandez, of Whittier.
DIRECTION OF COMPLETE USE OF GUARANTEED PATIENTS
The Department of Justice has announced indictments against 10 Southern California defendants in connection with multiple health care fraud schemes. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors allege that Mareik helped manage fraudulent prescriptions that generated approximately $270 million in Medi-Cal claims, ultimately paying out more than $178 million.
According to prosecutors, the claims involved expensive drugs with less expensive generic ingredients that may have had no medical need or were not given to the intended recipients.
Authorities said Mareik also sent thousands of counterfeit documents to an associate and caused fraudulent orders to be sent under his name.
LOS ANGELES HOSPITAL CONSULTANCY REACHES MILLIONS AS LAWYERS TALK TO FEDERAL PROGRAM AND PRIVATE CORPORATIONS
Federal prosecutors accuse the Southern California defendants of participating in schemes that defrauded Medicare and Medi-Cal of hundreds of millions of dollars. (Department of Justice)
Mareik was arrested on June 17 and charged with health care fraud.
The charges include a San Fernando Valley man accused of operating a hospice company that fraudulently billed Medicare as much as $27 million, according to prosecutors.
Prosecutors also charged Oren David Shachar, 59, of Van Nuys; Abraham Shin, 66, of Corona; and Jeannie Choi, 57, of Torrance.
The three suspects are facing 16 charges of conspiring to defraud Medicare of approximately $27 million.
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The charges include conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, aggravated identity theft, money laundering involving proceeds of crime over $10,000, and violation of the Anti-Kickback Statute.
Fox News Digital’s Alexandra Koch contributed to this report.
