Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against 21 people for allegedly seeking to defraud government health care programs of $149 million in a variety of pandemic-related scams.
WASHINGTON -- Federal prosecutors on Wednesday announced charges against 21 people for allegedly seeking to defraud government health care programs of $149 million in a variety of pandemic-related scams, including selling fake Covid-19 vaccination cards and submitting claims for unnecessary medical tests.
Investigators used data analytics programs and tips to identify patterns that could point to fraud, law enforcement officials said at a Wednesday briefing with reporters. "The scale and complexity of the schemes prosecuted today illustrates the success of our unprecedented interagency effort to quickly investigate and prosecute those who abuse our critical health care programs," said Kevin Chambers, director of Covid-19 Fraud Enforcement.
The largest of the alleged fraud in the sweep announced Wednesday is a scheme by two people charged by prosecutors in Los Angeles with allegedly attempting to make $144 million in bogus claims related to the Covid-19 epidemic, and a total of $214 million in false Medicare billings for medically unnecessary laboratory tests.