Nearly 200 people have been charged for their roles in various health care fraud schemes across the U.S. that federal authorities say amounted to over $2.7 billion in intended losses, the Justice Department announced on Thursday. Attorney General Merrick Garland announced charges against 193 people, including 76 doctors, nurse practitioners, and other licensed medical professionals in 32 different federal districts. The defendants were charged over a two-week sweep involving numerous law enforcement agencies nationwide, resulting in the seizure of more than "$231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets," according to Garland.
In Arizona, four were charged for allegedly submitting $900 million in false and fraudulent claims for amniotic wound grafts that were used on elderly Medicare patients — "many of whom were terminally ill in hospice care," according to the Department of Justice. In Florida, three owners of a wholesale pharmaceutical company were accused of distributing adulterated and misbranded HIV drugs. "It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a healthcare company if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable," Garland said in a statement. "The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits."