reSee.it - Related Video Feed

We found a hotel in California where every room was the headquarters for a nursing group. They were all PO boxes, not actually providing nursing care. They were just collecting money. As we now know, a lot of the money that was going into the Somali community for autism care went to these phony autism care houses. A lot of it ended up with al Shabaab in Somalia.

Alexander Suker, 42, was contracted with the city and county of Los Angeles to house and feed up to 600 homeless people, but was accused of misusing tens of millions of dollars to live a luxurious life. Exclusive Fox video shows the federal agents’ early-morning bust at the LA mansion. Suker was arrested, and his $125,000 Land Rover was seized by law enforcement. The feds say Suker defrauded the city and county of LA out of $23,000,000 for not only his mansion and car, but a second home in Greece, luxury vacations, designer clothes, and private schools. Speaker 1: He was living the high life while the people suffering, homeless on the streets with no shelter, no food. They're living out in the streets. People are literally dying, and this guy is out vacationing, buying homes, buying Range Rovers, and going shopping. Speaker 0: Prosecutors say Suker was supposed to provide three nutritional meals a day to the homeless, but during one inspection, Suker only had canned beans and ramen noodles on hand. The feds say Suker lied about various aspects of abundant blessings, including fake vendors, facilities and the homeless actually getting meals. The US Attorney's Office in LA says they are actively investigating at least 12 other similar fraud cases here in California. First Assistant US Attorney Bill Asele says there's a tremendous amount of fraud in this state and that today's bust of one man who misused $23,000,000 alone may show how little oversight there is. Speaker 1: California was pushing this money out quickly. A lot of money went out the door, with frankly very little vetting, very little checks and balances, and, he's one of the individuals that got it. Speaker 0: The suspect is scheduled to make his first appearance later today. He faces up to twenty years if convicted on a federal case. The local district attorney is also planning on prosecuting. Sean.

California is repaying $1.6 billion previously charged to the federal government for health care services provided to illegal immigrants, and a larger program integrity issue is claimed to exist in the state’s health care system. The speaker instructs Governor Newsom to produce within three weeks a comprehensive program integrity action plan to address major fraud. Three examples of alleged embarrassing fraud in California are highlighted: 1) In-home supportive services (which California shares with Minnesota) include personal care such as bathing or grooming, household tasks, cleaning and cooking, shopping, and transportation. These are tasks that families could perform, but government funding is said to have generated significant cash for unethical people. California spending for these services increased from eight to twenty-eight billion dollars over the past decade, with a claim that federal taxpayers are paying 250% more for California, an affluent state, and that the program is still growing by double digits annually. 2) In 2024, spending for home health care in California purportedly rose by more than 21%, representing the largest growth rate for any major health category nationwide. The number of home health agencies in California reportedly almost doubled between 2019 and 2024. Los Angeles County alone is said to account for $1.4 billion, representing almost 9% of total fee-for-service home health spending for the entire country, despite having just 2% of national enrollment. The assertion is that this concentrates home health funds in L.A. County, limiting access for other Americans who could benefit from these services. 3) The 2022 California state auditor report is cited as showing that the number of hospice agents in Los Angeles County increased by 1,500% since 2010, a growth rate that allegedly far exceeds the 40% increase in the senior population over the same period. The speaker questions how a sevenfold increase in hospice could be defended, noting reports from seniors who claim they were duped by fraudsters and that California is not stopping these criminals. The speaker reiterates that Governor Newsom’s deadline for a comprehensive program integrity action plan is approaching and urges action to save American lives rather than enabling criminals.

We've discovered $2.7 trillion in improper payments to Medicare, Medicaid, and overseas recipients who shouldn't have received them. This is just one example of the fraud, waste, and abuse we're identifying daily. Elon Musk highlighted Social Security payments being made to deceased individuals, which is clearly fraudulent. We're also finding contracts where, for instance, a million dollars was allocated, but only $500,000 was actually spent. Where did the remaining funds go? These are the issues we're addressing daily. This is exactly what President Trump promised to do during his campaign, and we are delivering on that promise.

We are announcing today charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $14,600,000,000 in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs. These criminals didn't just steal someone else's money. They stole from you. The days of transnational criminal organizations using the American health care programs as their personal piggy bank are over. Third, this takedown resulted in criminal charges against 74 defendants including medical professionals who fueled America's deadly opioid crisis for personal profit. This is not health care. It is a staggering breach of trust. Today's enforcement action represents the largest health care fraud takedown in American history, but it's not the end. It's the beginning of a new era of aggressive prosecution and data driven prevention.

Elizabeth describes a pattern she’s seeing in Portland, Maine that mirrors what’s been found in Minnesota: the use of zombie offices and large clusters of home health care businesses operating from a single location to defraud Medicaid. She notes that among the businesses registered in the Portland area, of the 20-something identified, about 10 are home health care providers. She cites specific examples, including Prestige Home Care, Bright Star Home Care, Atlanta Community Support, Five Stars Home Health Care, and Prime Home Care LLC, as part of this trend. Elizabeth emphasizes that this clustering is a tactic previously observed in Minnesota, where the Minnesota House Oversight Committee on Fraud described it as a giant red flag, pointing to large groups of health care providers located in one building as problematic. She points to a particular building in Portland as evidence: inside this building, 22 different home and community-based health care companies are registered, illustrating the concentration of providers within a single address. Ron Nevins, the building owner, agrees to speak with Elizabeth about what’s inside. He is asked about how many health care companies occupy the space. He responds, “I think I got 10 health care companies, which is probably about half, maybe a little less than half of this building.” He repeatedly references “health care, health care, health care, home health care,” underscoring the focus of the tenants. Elizabeth probes the legitimacy of these businesses, asking whether they are all legitimate. Ron Nevins replies partially: “Some, yes, but some I highly question.” His comment reflects uncertainty about the fidelity or legality of the operations housed in the building, aligning with the concerns raised by the Minnesota case. In summary, the reporting highlights a pattern of many home health care providers co-located in a single Portland building, mirroring Minnesota’s findings of clustered health care entities as a potential red flag for Medicaid fraud. The account cites specific companies and notes substantial occupancy by home health care firms, while also acknowledging doubts about the legitimacy of some of these businesses according to the building’s owner.

A documentary-style investigation in Minnesota accuses widespread government-funded fraud across childcare, elder care, and health care services, alleging that hundreds of millions (potentially billions) of taxpayer dollars were funneled to fraudulent businesses, many run by Somali-owned entities, with insufficient or no evidence of actual children or patients being served. Key figures and setup - David: An investigator whose office is in Minneapolis, claiming firsthand exposure to fraud. He frames the problem as deeply entrenched, involving billions of dollars and potentially ties to terrorist groups abroad. - Nick Shirley: The presenter and filmmaker, documenting the investigation, confronting daycare centers, health care providers, and government officials. Main fraud allegations and examples - Childcare and early learning centers: - Multiple Minneapolis daycares listed at the same addresses, licensed for large capacities (e.g., 120 children) but with no children present in long-running site visits. - Examples include Mako Childcare and Mini Childcare Center: combined licensing for 120 children, but vans never moving and no children observed over repeated visits; fiscal year payments ranged from about 714,000 to over 1.6 million dollars for the two centers in various years. - ABC Learning Center and other nearby facilities: windows blocked out, doors locked, no children observed despite licensing for dozens or hundreds of children; payments in the hundreds of thousands to millions per year. - Sweet Angel Childcare and others: similar patterns—license capacity reported, payments received, but no children seen; in one case, ongoing operation with no obvious play area or evidence of childcare. - The video notes cases where two daycares share addresses or switch names (e.g., Creative Minds Daycare reopens as Super Kids Daycare Center) yet continue to receive state funding, suggesting “fraudulent” billing. - Some locations claimed to be open long hours and to serve many children, yet on-site visits found no children, locked doors, or hostile responses when questioned. In one instance, a staffer refused to discuss the operation or provide paperwork. - Specific sums cited include ownership of facilities with payments like 1.26 million, 987 thousand, 714 thousand, 1.6 million, 1.3 million, 1.0–1.6 million in various fiscal years, totaling near several millions per site and aggregating toward millions across multiple centers. - Home health care and other services: - A building housing 14 Somali-owned home health care companies under many different names, all operating from the same location, raising concerns about service provision and billing. - A broader claim that in Minnesota, 14–22 Somali health care businesses at the same address are part of the same ecosystem; government money (state and federal CCAP funding) is disbursed to these entities, with a perception that services may not be rendered as billed. - A separate building contains numerous health care providers; the interviewee asserts that 50–60 million dollars per year could be fraudulently routed through this single building. - Overall scale and claims: - David asserts the fraud is “far worse than anybody can imagine” with estimates initially as high as 7 to 10 billion, later revised publicly to around 8 billion; in total, a major portion of the state budget is implicated. - A central claim is that funds from CCAP (a blend of federal and state money, taxpayer money) are written as checks to providers who may not deliver corresponding services; the state’s checks are allegedly not effectively cross-checked for actual service provision. - Political and procedural dimensions: - The investigation contends that Minnesota governor Tim Walz is responsible for allowing or failing to curb fraud, describing the state as “ground zero” for the issue and criticizing political and procedural inaction. - The documentary frames fraud as nonpartisan, noting Medicaid fraud occurs across parties and administrations nationwide, but then presents a partisan friction as they confront lawmakers at a state Capitol hearing. - At the Capitol hearing, Republicans and Democrats discuss fraud, with some speakers asserting the problem is nonpartisan and rooted in systemic issues across administrations, while others push to hold specific leaders accountable and emphasize the need for transparency and enforcement. Confrontations and outcomes - The team encounters resistance and hostility at several sites, including doors locked, hostile staff, and in one instance, a confrontation resulting in police involvement at a building housing healthcare providers. - The investigators claim to have faced intimidation and even threats; they describe instances of violence toward them for asking questions about child and elder care fraud. - The film documents a tense, complex landscape of allegations, aiming to connect misallocated funds to non-delivered services, with ongoing investigations, raids, and political debate as the state capital becomes a focal point for accountability discussions.

William Lajanes reports from Los Angeles on hospice fraud, describing it as costing taxpayers 200 million dollars a year, with the worst activity seen in LA. He cites ghost patients, sham companies, corrupt doctors, and hospitals billing for care never provided, including owners stealing Medicare numbers from seniors who don’t know they’re on hospice until they need real care and then can’t receive it because the hospice owns their Medicare number. He and others call it human trafficking of beneficiaries. A source labels hospice fraud in LA as “crazy,” noting hospice care has grown sevenfold in the last five years. They estimate about 3.5 billion dollars of fraud in LA County alone. They describe LA as ground zero for scammers. Sheila Clark states hundreds of LA hospices falsely bill the government for unnecessary care, often cycling patients from one provider to another. Another participant describes a “non ending benefit,” with patients allegedly receiving four thousand dollars a month indefinitely. Patients are said to be bought and sold like trading cards, and recruiters told to post at busy shopping centers or senior living addresses to knock on doors, offering walkers, wheelchairs, and promising recruiters earn 300 dollars for any senior aged 62 they sign up, sick or not. That patient data and Medicare numbers are then sold to providers. A speaker emphasizes that a Medicare MIB number is highly lucrative. When asked how much federal taxpayers are losing, the response is “Millions, billions.” The report asserts that Russian Armenian gangs and the mafia are leading many of these efforts, allegedly able to corrupt and work with doctors willing to lie. A doctor is cited who billed the government 120,000,000 dollars in a single year, claiming to oversee 1,900 patients. With almost 2,000 hospice agencies, LA County has more than 36 states combined, and 30 times more than Florida or New York. It is stated that 18 percent of the entire country’s home health care billing comes from Los Angeles County. A map shows a cluster of 287 hospice providers in a two-mile radius, including locations in strip malls, unmarked buildings, a wrecking yard, and a vacant lot. The problem is described as once a beneficiary’s number is assigned to a hospice, that patient cannot get care elsewhere, including in a hospital. There is a call to listen to people who say they’ve been scammed. Context is provided that Governor Newsom filed a civil rights complaint against Doctor Oz for unfairly targeting the Armenian community; auditors and prosecutors say Armenian organized crime is involved with Medicare fraud. California auditors four years ago warned that lax state controls created the mess, prompting a moratorium on new hospices and the revocation of about 280 licenses since then. Ayesha?

I'm nearly convinced that our entire national debt of $36 trillion is due to fraud, abuse, and waste. A staggering $2.7 trillion was improperly sent overseas as Medicare and Medicaid payments. How is this even possible? Is there any part of our government that isn't defrauding the American people? We've barely scratched the surface of this audit, and it already seems the answer is no. It feels like every branch of government has been robbing Americans blind while we struggle to make ends meet. People are still freezing. I want to see arrests, and I want the names of those responsible revealed.

A basic search of the Social Security database revealed 20 million dead people marked as alive. While it's unclear if they're directly receiving Social Security payments, their "alive" status allows them to fraudulently obtain disability, unemployment, and fake medical payments. The fraud occurs because government databases don't communicate well. For example, the Treasury's main payments computer, PAM, handles $5 trillion in payments annually, roughly a billion dollars an hour. We discovered payments lacked categorization codes and descriptions, essentially untraceable blank checks. If a public company operated this way, it would be delisted, and executives would face imprisonment.

Speaker 0: Massive fraud is going on here in the state of Minnesota, especially in Minneapolis. Explain to me what's going on with the day cares. Speaker 1: One of the things I've noticed is there’s an exceptional number of childcare centers set up mostly in Minneapolis, but also in Saint Paul. I wondered how many kids are there in the Twin Cities. I visited facilities near my office and saw there aren’t any kids there. I’d go to another one and there aren’t any kids there either. I spoke with someone outside who said, “We’re all full,” yet when I looked inside the door was open and there was a couch and a table with a couple chairs and no kids. I asked if the kids were outside playing or what kind of place this was, and the staffer said, “You go,” and followed me down the street to my car. That made me think something was going on, and this was maybe five years ago. Speaker 1: This fraud is so massive. When the dust settles on this, it’s going to be found to be the largest fraud in the history of the country and probably the world. The ones I’ve gotten data on average about $2,500,000 a year, and a lot of them will say they have anywhere from 80 to 120 children. Speaker 1: I’ve been to literally 40 or 50 of these childcare centers, and there never has been a single child at any one of them ever. Morning, afternoon, evening. Some say they’re open till 10:00 at night. I go there in the morning, I go there in the afternoon, I go there at 9:00 at night. Nobody. There are no kids there ever.

We found 10,000 people using the same Social Security number. Illegals are brought in and given a Social Security number so employers can deduct taxes. In cities with factories, like chicken processors, hundreds of illegals are hired across different plants, all using the same Social Security number. The IRS disconnected names from Social Security numbers, so now it only verifies if there's an employer. Factories provide the Social Security numbers, and the government ignores it. With a Social Security number and a passed driving test, they get a driver's license, and it's assumed they're citizens, packing the voter rolls. The government has a $1.7 trillion slush fund, earning $100 million a month in interest. This is why some people tried to silence us. Everyone benefits from this system.

The transcript presents a long-form exposé-style investigation into what the speakers describe as widespread fraud in California’s caregiving sectors, focusing on hospice, home health care, and daycares, with emphasis on Los Angeles and Van Nuys. - Opening claim and context: - Speaker 0 asks why there is a thousand percent increase in hospice care in Los Angeles and whether paperwork exists to enroll a child named Joey. They claim California has the largest fraud risk, with Medi-Cal spending rising from 2022 to 2026 (from $108 billion to a proposed $222 billion) while population growth hasn’t matched spending growth. They allege “one out of every $10 of home health care in America is spent in Los Angeles.” They argue government-funded daycare programs are “filled with violations,” and that fraud could be “hundreds of billions of dollars.” - Daycare fraud focus: - The video claims daycares are used to receive government money (CalWORKS) by enrolling children on paper while not having real enrollments. They show various locations and describe conditions as suspicious or unsafe (graffiti, boarded-up buildings, dumpsters, a homeless person near a daycare). - Medina Learning Center is described as “now enrolling,” with “as their backup facility, the UMI Learning Center,” which was “convicted in federal court in 2024 of having a 150 ghost kids.” They seek paperwork to enroll a child named Joey. - Hayden Sarah Family Child Care is described as having “14 children enrolled” per state records but “zero present” when inspectors arrived; the facility roster and missing children records are cited as violations. - Jama Shukri Family Childcare is described as a daycare located in an apartment building (one-bedroom, eight capacity) with two children outside and no adult visible, raising concerns about supervision. - The video notes California allocates $6 billion to childcare, “over 39,000 facilities,” with a state audit error rate of 1.6%, and conservative estimates suggest “upwards of a $100,000,000 in fraud lost each and every single year.” - A recurring theme is “shell registrations” and unregistered CMS (Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services) entities; seven of the four entities shown have “zero SMS data,” implying shell companies or fraud networks possibly connected to Armenian/Russian gangs. - Hospice and home health care fraud focus: - The group shifts to Van Nuys, California, claiming “home health care and hospice fraud” is pervasive there; they assert “one out of every $10 that goes towards home health care in the United States goes to a business here in LA.” They visit numerous hospice centers in a single plaza, naming Gardens of Angels Hospice and Blossom Hospice as examples of high billing with few services performed (e.g., Gardens of Angels: “billed $4,800,000 per beneficiary,” “$5,807 per claim,” 28.6 claims per patient, only two codes). Blossom Hospice is described as “$3,400,000” billed with “$927 per claim,” again with only one code and minimal services. - They claim “seven of the four entities have zero SMS data” and label some facilities as shell registrations; some locations appear “registering for hospice but not actually providing care,” with claims of “shell buildings” or storefronts that are empty or only used for billing. - The video notes the presence of luxury cars at these sites (Mercedes, Teslas, BMWs, a Cybertruck) and references a pattern of wealthy vehicles associated with hospice sites, suggesting profits from taxpayers’ dollars. - Miracle Healing Hospice is described as having billed $1,300,000 in 2023 with 38 beneficiaries: “$32,000 per beneficiary,” but the location was reported as an empty building when visited. - The presenters also describe finding a location that “received $19,000,000” over the past years for Healthy Life Adult Daycare, yet the building appears dilapidated and shows no adults present during visits. Phone lines and mailboxes are reported as failing to provide information or contacts. - Interviews and expert commentary: - A professional in the medical industry is interviewed to explain how fraud could occur: someone could obtain a Medicare number and use it to bill Medicare for hospice services; fraudsters reportedly can open a hospice license without being a physician, then bill the system and receive payments quickly. - The interview suggests Medicare numbers can be stolen or purchased; the speaker emphasizes that “anybody can get a hospice license,” and that the process enables easy billings to Medicare/Medicaid. - A participant describes a trend of these facilities opening and billing, with the implication that people exploit the system for swift returns. - Overall framing and conclusions presented: - The speakers argue that there is a thousand percent increase in hospice openings in California, a surge in fraudulent activity across daycares and hospice/hom e health facilities, and that tax dollars are funding these entities with little-to-no accountability. They juxtapose luxury cars and upscale appearances with empty or non-operational facilities to illustrate alleged misappropriation of funds. They advocate scrutiny, data-backed investigation, and accountability for what they describe as widespread fraud affecting taxpayers and vulnerable populations. - Closing sentiments: - The narrative closes with a call to action against fraud, emphasizing the impact on ordinary Americans who face rising costs and debt, and claiming that exposing fraud is essential to protecting taxpayer dollars and national financial health.

The Department of Justice announced the largest coordinated health care fraud takedown in its history, charging 324 defendants for alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $14,660,000,000 in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health care programs. Key points emphasized: - First, these health care fraud schemes affect every hardworking American family. The announcement states that criminals didn’t just steal money from others; they stole from taxpayers who fund these programs. Every fraudulent claim, fake billing, and kickback scheme represents money taken from American taxpayers, driving up the national deficit and threatening the long-term viability of health care for seniors, disabled Americans, and vulnerable citizens. The enforcement action involves seizure of cash as well as luxury vehicles and properties, returning real money to taxpayers and to government health care programs. - Second, there is a disturbing trend of transnational criminal organizations engaging in increasingly sophisticated schemes. The takedown identifies and charges defendants operating from Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and other foreign countries, who have infiltrated the U.S. health care system to steal taxpayer dollars. An example described involves a sophisticated operation run from Russia and Eastern Europe that bought dozens of medical supply companies in the United States and submitted more than $10,000,000,000 in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare. This operation used the stolen identities of more than 1,000,000 Americans spanning all 50 states. Federal agents intercepted and arrested key members of that organization at U.S. airports and the U.S.–Mexico border, cutting off their escape routes. The days of transnational criminal organizations using the American health care programs as their personal piggy bank are over. - Third, 74 defendants, including medical professionals, were charged, highlighting those who fueled America’s deadly opioid crisis for personal profit. Pill mill operators who prescribed unnecessary opioids were charged, and networks of corrupt pharmacies that distributed drugs to addicts and dealers were dismantled, feeding the addiction crisis that has devastated communities. This is described as a staggering breach of trust, and the Department’s Criminal Division will prosecute these criminals aggressively, equating them with drug dealers. - Fourth, some defendants targeted vulnerable citizens in nursing homes, individuals with disabilities, and those battling serious illnesses. Prosecutors charged seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1,000,000,000 in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for performing medically unnecessary skin grass on dying patients as they sought to spend their final days with dignity and peace. This conduct is described as callous and disturbing, reflecting a breach of trust between patients, families, and providers. The overall message: today’s enforcement action represents the largest health care fraud takedown in American history, signaling the beginning of a new era of aggressive prosecution and data-driven prevention.

We may be witnessing one of the biggest Medicaid fraud schemes in U.S. history. New York Governor Kathy Hochul recently awarded a $45 billion medical care contract to Public Partnerships LLC (PPL). 50% of this contract is funded by the federal government. This contract will destroy nearly 700 businesses and jeopardize the home care Medicaid program. The eleven ninety nine SEIU union announced that PPL would be acquiring the contract before public bidding even started, providing clear evidence that PPL's acquisition of this government contract was rigged. The union knew because they made a deal with PPL to unionize all workers, resulting in the union taking in an additional $1 billion per year. Republicans and Democrats have called for investigation into this apparent fraud scheme. I am calling upon the Medicaid inspector general to conduct an independent investigation. Kathy Hochul, eleven ninety nine SEIU, and PPL are hoping to hold out until March 28 when the deal goes into effect. This fraud scheme must be investigated right now.

Modernizing American medicine will address waste, fraud, and abuse. Last year, 230,000 Americans on Obamacare plans were unaware of their enrollment; brokers profited by enrolling them without their knowledge. California has taken millions of dollars from the federal government to provide free health insurance for illegal immigrants. The government intends to recoup this money. Medicaid patients are also being enrolled in multiple states, resulting in the federal government paying multiple states for the same individual without ensuring they receive adequate healthcare.

There's tremendous fraud and abuse happening, and I'm holding a news conference tomorrow to reveal some of the entities that have received hundreds of millions, even billions of dollars. It's hard to believe this kind of fraud can occur. When you see billions being wasted illegally, there's likely kickbacks or corruption involved. Millions are given for minimal effort, and that money comes back in some form. They're spending massive amounts of money on ridiculous items. Out of 200 expenditures I reviewed, only three seemed reasonable. I commend Elon for his work in uncovering this fraud. He doesn't need to do this, especially with the abuse he faces. He and his team, which started with 12 people and has now grown to almost a hundred, have found more than anyone else could. People are joining to help because there's massive fraud.

This Wednesday, the DOGE subcommittee on oversight, working with the Department of Justice, will hold its first hearing. We'll be investigating improper Medicare payments made to deceased individuals and criminals internationally. Eliminating this fraud could save hundreds of billions of taxpayer dollars. This isn't a partisan issue; it's about saving American money. While this is work that should have been done long ago, I'm hopeful Republicans and Democrats can come together to address this problem. We’ll see how it goes.

- A doctor billed the government $120,000,000 in a single year, claiming to oversee 1,900 patients. - With almost 2,000 hospice agencies, Los Angeles County has more than 36 states combined, and 30 times more than either Florida or New York. - 18% of the whole country’s home health care billing is coming out of Los Angeles County. - A map shows a cluster of 287 hospice providers in a two-mile radius, some in strip malls, unmarked buildings, even a wrecking yard and vacant lot; all of it is just paperwork. - I could fill that out in Kazakhstan if I want. - I can get a hospice license waiting for me.

My team at the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) uncovered $100 billion in wasted Medicare and Medicaid funds. Working with two senior CMS veterans, we had read-only access to their payment and contracting systems. Our mission was to find ways to use resources more effectively, but we discovered massive waste and potential fraud. CMS processes over a billion Medicare claims annually and manages billions in Medicaid funds. They recently suspended 850 agents for suspected fraud. The Department of Justice has also been prosecuting healthcare fraud cases, with billions of dollars in losses. This discovery highlights a massive scandal, potentially the biggest in US history, and is prompting calls for similar transparency initiatives in other countries. We need major reform, absolute transparency over tax spending, and human oversight to ensure this doesn't happen again.

I'm Matthew Galiotti, head of the Justice Department's Criminal Division. Today we announce the largest coordinated health care fraud takedown in the history of the Department of Justice. We are announcing charges against three twenty four defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud schemes involving approximately $14,600,000,000 in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs. In a takedown this large, I can't possibly describe all of the work that went into dismantling each scheme. But there are four key points that bear emphasizing. First, these health care fraud schemes mean for every hardworking American family. These criminals didn't just steal someone else's money. They stole from you. Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice. And when criminals defraud these programs, they're not just committing theft. They're driving up our national deficit and threatening the long term viability of health care for seniors, disabled Americans and our most vulnerable citizens. This enforcement action involves the seizure of cash as well as luxury vehicles and properties returning real money to American taxpayers and to our government health care programs. Second, we are seeing a disturbing trend of transnational criminal organizations engaging in increasingly sophisticated and complex criminal schemes that defraud the American health care system. As part of this takedown, we've identified and charged defendants operating from Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan and other foreign countries. As just one example, we dismantled a scheme involving a sophisticated operation run from Russia and Eastern Europe that strategically bought dozens of medical supply companies in The United States and submitted more than $10,000,000,000 in fraudulent health care claims to Medicare. To make matters worse, these perpetrators used the stolen identities of more than 1,000,000 Americans spanning all 50 states to perpetrate this scheme and submit these false claims. But I'm pleased to report that federal agents intercepted and arrested key members of that organization at US airports and The US Mexico border, cutting off their intended escape routes. The days of transnational criminal organizations using the American health care programs as their personal piggy bank are over. Third, this takedown resulted in criminal charges against 74 defendants, including medical professionals who fueled America's deadly opioid crisis for personal profit. These are not isolated instances of poor judgment. These are calculated schemes designed to exploit Americans struggling with addiction while enriching the very people who were duty bound to help them heal. We charged pill mill operators who prescribed unnecessary opioids. We dismantled networks of corrupt pharmacies that existed solely to distribute drugs to addicts and dealers, feeding the addiction crisis that has devastated so many American communities. Fourth, many of the defendants charged as part of this takedown specifically targeted our most vulnerable citizens, elderly Americans in nursing homes, individuals with disabilities, those battling illnesses, and more. For example, our prosecutors charged seven defendants, including five medical professionals, in connection with approximately $1,000,000,000 in fraudulent claims to Medicare and other health care benefit programs for performing medically unnecessary skin grass on dying patients as they were seeking to spend their final days with dignity and peace. That conduct is exactly as callous and disturbing as it sounds. Patients and their families trusted these providers with their lives. Instead of receiving care, they became victims of elaborate criminal schemes.

Medicare was scammed out of $760,000,000. An investigation in Phoenix was opened after a complaint about suspicious billing to Arizona Medicaid. This led to a network of sober living homes, intended to help those struggling with addiction, many of whom were Native Americans. Instead, it was a massive fraud scheme that billed for services never provided. The sober living home facilities owned by ProMD received more than $560,000,000 for services that were not provided.

In Los Angeles, there are 42 hospices within a four-block radius, with Cyrillic and Armenian/Russian writing on buildings and little visible patient care activity. A major case involved $16,000,000 stolen, with the main organizer going to jail for two years. The area had an apparently empty hospice center and claimed services for people at home that were not actually provided. The speaker asserts roughly $3.5 billion in fraud is taking place in Los Angeles hospice and home care, run largely by the Russian Armenian mafia. The narration notes the presence of language and dialect behind the speaker as indicative of this organized crime. The operation allegedly recruited hundreds of doctors to write false prescriptions and paid or tricked 100,000 patients into giving them their beneficiary numbers to perpetuate the fraud. Criminals allegedly run the organization and quickly evade when law enforcement prosecutes them. California has not given much attention to these problems, but that is changing, according to the speaker. The US attorney and FBI are now focused on the issue in a state with about $30,000,000,000 worth of home and community-based services, most of which, the speaker claims, might be fraudulent. The statement concludes that the President is not going to tolerate this anymore.

We're uncovering massive fraud, waste, and abuse daily. Recently, it was discovered that there were $2.7 trillion in improper payments to Medicare, Medicaid, and overseas. Social Security payments are even going to deceased individuals. We're also seeing contracts where the full amount wasn't delivered. For example, a million-dollar contract might only see $500,000 distributed, and we're working to find where the rest of the money went. This is exactly what I campaigned on, and what 77 million people elected me to do.