CHICAGO — A grim revelation has emerged from the suburbs of Chicago, where Shawn Bashir, a therapist, stands accused of orchestrating an alleged $17.3 million healthcare fraud scheme.
Bashir, 39, of Grayslake, Ill., is charged with creating fictitious entities called Success for Kids and Growing Kids Therapy. These entities were supposed to provide crucial early intervention services for children, but according to the charges, Bashir submitted false and fraudulent claims from these non-existent firms to a private insurer over seven years.
From 2019 to 2025, Bashir’s deceitful enterprise aimed to dupe the insurer out of approximately $17.3 million, leading to actual payments of at least $1.4 million for therapy services that were never rendered. The charges against Bashir were unsealed Friday in U.S. District Court in Chicago.
Bashir pleaded not guilty during his arraignment on Friday and faces eight counts of healthcare fraud and two counts of aggravated identity theft. His next appearance is set for Nov. 12, 2025, before U.S. District Judge Sara L. Ellis.
The Bashir case marks the first indictment returned by the newly established Healthcare Fraud Section of the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Chicago. This move comes as part of a broader effort to tackle fraud enforcement priorities led by U.S. Attorney Andrew S. Boutros, who has charged nearly $2 billion in alleged healthcare fraud schemes since taking office in April 2025.
The investigation and charges were announced by U.S. Attorney Boutros, along with the FBI, Department of Labor, and the Employee Benefits Security Administration. Assistant U.S. Attorney Irene Hickey Sullivan is representing the government in this case. As always, an indictment does not prove guilt; Bashir is presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Key Facts
- State: Illinois
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes|Public Corruption
- Source: Official Source ↗
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