Latest Medicare Fraud Crackdown Triggers 18 Arrests in L.A. Area
On Thursday, the Medicare Fraud Strike Force arrested 18 people in the Los Angeles area, arguing in indictments that the individuals were involved in schemes to submit fraudulent bills for medical equipment to Medicare, the Los Angeles Times reports.
Federal prosecutors and indictments maintain that Medicare stood to lose $33 million through fraud in the schemes.
The Medicare Fraud Strike Force is a team of federal and state investigators that began working in the Los Angeles area this year. Since forming last year, the force has indicted 175 people alleged to have billed Medicare for greater than half a billion dollars.
Defendants in the case have been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud and other offenses (Glover, Los Angeles Times, 9/19).