Two Defendants Charged in Connection with Alleged Health Care Fraud Schemes
U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle announced today that two defendants have been charged in connection with alleged schemes to defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE, and other health care benefit programs.
The charges, part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, stem from schemes to submit claims for medically unnecessary respiratory pathogen panel (“RPP”) testing and fraudulent claims for care that a provider did not provide to patients.
“The charges announced today include some of the largest and most complex cases that the Department has prosecuted and reinforces the combined missions of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Louisiana, and our law enforcement partners,” said U.S. Attorney David I. Courcelle.
The charges announced today 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 over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death.
Louisiana State Attorney General Liz Murrill said, “The men and women of Louisiana get up and go to work every single day to provide for their families. Their tax dollars are intended for those in need. Nothing is more offensive than those who manipulate the system for their own benefit.”
The charges announced today include:
Defendant 1: [No defendant name provided]
Charges: [No charges provided]
City and State: [No city and state provided]
Date: [No date provided]
Sentence: [No sentence provided]
Defendant 2: [No defendant name provided]
Charges: [No charges provided]
City and State: [No city and state provided]
Date: [No date provided]
Sentence: [No sentence provided]
“The 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,” said Courcelle.
The Takedown involved the seizure of over $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.
Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers, as well as 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounting to over $73 million, over 1,400 provider exclusions, and 25 actions by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (“HHS-OIG”) 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, and 928 administrative cases by the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) seeking the revocation of authority to handle and/or prescribe controlled substances since October 1, 2025.
The Takedown also involved unprecedented international cooperation, resulting in the apprehension and return to the United States of several health care fraudsters, including one defendant in Kyrenia in connection with an over $3.7 billion scheme, two defendants in Estonia in connection with a previously charged $10.6 billion scheme, and one of the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme in the Philippines.
Key Facts
- State: Louisiana
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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