WASHINGTON—The Department of Justice announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 state attorneys general’s offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.
The government seized over $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency and other assets as part of the coordinated enforcement efforts. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced that it prevented more than $4 billion from being paid in response to false and fraudulent claims and that it suspended or revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers in the months leading up to the takedown. Civil charges against 20 defendants for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, as well as civil settlements with 106 defendants totaling $34.3 million, were also announced as part of the takedown.
“As part of making health care accessible and affordable to all Americans, HHS will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the pervasive health care fraud that bedeviled this agency under the former administration and drove up costs,” said Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services.
Of those being charged, 29 defendants were charged with roles in transnational criminal organizations, seven charged with fraudulent wound care, 74 charged with prescription opioid trafficking, 49 charged with telemedicine and genetic testing fraud, and an additional 170 defendants with various other health care fraud schemes.
For instance, a nationwide investigation known as Operation Gold Rush resulted in the largest loss amount ever charged in a health care fraud case brought by the department. These charges were announced in the Eastern District of New York, the Northern District of Illinois, the Central District of California, the Middle District of Florida and the District of New Jersey against 19 defendants. Twelve of these defendants have been arrested, including four defendants who were apprehended in Estonia as a result of international cooperation with Estonian law enforcement and seven defendants who were arrested at U.S. airports and the U.S. border with Mexico, cutting off their intended escape routes as they attempted to avoid capture.
“Health care fraud isn’t just theft—it’s trafficking in trust," said Acting Adminstrator Robert Murphy of the DEA. "Today’s announcement shows that when doctors become drug dealers and treatment centers become profit-driven fraud rings, DEA will act. We’re targeting the entire ecosystem of fraud—from pill mills in Texas to kickback clinics exploiting Native communities. If you abuse your medical license to push poison or pad your pockets, we will hold you accountable.”
The takedown was led and coordinated by the health care fraud unit of the Department of Justice Criminal Division’s Fraud Section and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA). The cases were investigated by agents from HHS-OIG, FBI, DEA, and other federal and state law enforcement agencies. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams from the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section, 50 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices nationwide, and 12 state attorneys general offices.