National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 455 Defendants Charged in Connection with More Than $6.5 Billion in Alleged Fraud

Today, United States Attorney Leif Olson announced criminal charges and a civil enforcement action in connection with alleged schemes to defraud the Veterans Community Care Program, Medicare, and Tricare. The cases are part of the Department of Justice's 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. They stem from alleged schemes to submit claims for home health care services not actually provided and to receive payments from Medicare based on false invoices.

The cases are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death.

Today's Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: one defendant in Cyprus in connection with an $3.7+ billion scheme; two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme; and, in the Philippines, one of FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; the seizure of more than $182 million in cash, luxury vehicles, jewelry, and other assets; and full-spectrum accountability for all criminal actors from doctor's offices to corporate boardrooms.

Today's coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:

• Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, or CMS, to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
• 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to more than $73 million, more than 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services's Office of Inspector General under the Civil Monetary Penalties Law seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund from payments that CMS caught and suspended before the funds were paid to the fraudulent providers.
• Civil charges against 13 defendants for $14.8 million in health care fraud schemes, as well as civil settlements with 31 defendants totaling $23 million.
• 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.

These cases were brought by the United States Attorney for the Northern District of Iowa:

• Hughes Home Care, Inc., d/b/a Synergy Homecare ("Synergy") and its owner, Jacob Hughes, age 35, both of Cedar Rapids, were indicted in connection with a scheme to defraud the Veterans Community Care Program out of more than $350,000. As alleged in the indictment, Hughes and Synergy submitted claims for home health care services not actually provided to elderly and infirm veterans, including claims for services purportedly provided after a veteran client passed away. As alleged, Hughes used the proceeds of the scheme to pay sports gambling debts and other personal expenses. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Kyndra Lundquist.
• Heartland Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, P.C., and its owner, Eugene J. Cherny, of Des Moines, were sued for damages and civil penalties arising from false pricing information they sent to Medicare. The complaint, filed jointly with the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa, alleges that Heartland and Cherny gave Medicare false invoices for skin substitute products used to treat Medicare patients. Medicare used the invoices to set the reimbursement Heartland received. The complaint alleges that Medicare and Tricare paid Cherny more than $2 million based on the false information provided. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brandon J. Gray and Brian J. Keogh, of the Northern District of Iowa, and Andy Kahal, of the Southern District of Iowa, represent the United States.

The cases across the country are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit's National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central and Southern Districts of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware; Middle, Northern, and Southern Districts of Florida; Northern District of Georgia; District of Hawaii; District of Idaho; Northern District of Illinois; Northern and Southern Districts of Iowa; Western District of Kentucky; Eastern and Middle Districts of Louisiana; District of Massachusetts; Eastern District of Michigan; Southern District of Mississippi; District of Montana; District of Nebraska; District of New Hampshire; District of New Jersey; District of New Mexico; Eastern, Northern, and Southern Districts of New York; Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of North Carolina; Northern District of Ohio; Northern and Western Districts of Oklahoma; District of Oregon; Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Pennsylvania; District of Puerto Rico; District of Rhode Island; District of South Carolina; District of South Dakota; Middle and Western Districts of Tennessee; Northern, Southern, and Western Districts of Texas; District of Vermont; Eastern and Western Districts of Virginia; Northern and Southern Districts of West Virginia; Eastern and Western Districts of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General's Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today. Descriptions of each case involved in today's enforcement action are available on the Department's website here.

The Northern District of Iowa, in particular, worked with the Department's Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division, the Fraud Section of the Civil Division, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Iowa; the Attorney General of Iowa, through her office's MFCU; and: the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the Department of Veteran Affairs - Office of Inspector General, the Department of Health and Human Services - Office of Inspector General, and the Department of Defense - Office of Inspector General.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division. The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department's work to combat fraud supports President Trump's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.