US EditionCalifornia officials charge 21 people in hospice fraud exceeding $250 million
Prosecutors say the defendants used stolen identities and sham hospices to file about $267 million in bogus Medi-Cal claims.
- On Thursday, State Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the dismantling of Operation Skip Trace, a hospice fraud scheme that defrauded California's Medi-Cal system of $267 million, with 21 individuals charged.
- Conspirators purchased non-California residents' personal information on the dark web and enrolled them in Medi-Cal without their knowledge, then billed the state through 14 hospice companies for services never provided.
- Over 130 shell companies laundered the stolen funds across bank accounts, payment apps and cryptocurrency, including a $33 million deposit linked to Sarkis Ksachikyan, prosecutors said.
- The Trump administration labeled Southern California a 'kingdom of fraud' and accused the state of failing to address hospice fraud, while Bonta rejected these claims as political attempts to boost President Donald Trump's approval.
- Hospice fraud occurs across all 50 states, Bonta noted, while federal authorities continue anti-fraud efforts involving over $50 million in arrests in Southern California last week.
64 Articles
64 Articles
California officials charge 21 people in hospice fraud ring exceeding $250 million
After the Department of Health Care Services notified state prosecutors of potential fraud, investigators discovered a scheme in which individuals bought personal information for non-California residents from the dark web and enrolled them in Medi-Cal, the state's equivalent of Medicaid, AG Bonta's office said.
POLITICS: All right, if we must
So now Rob Bonta has a passion for rooting out fraud. The California attorney general, who in February scoffed at the prospect of widespread fraud in the Golden State — and accused the Trump administration of politicizing the issue — got the memo at last. On Thursday the AG said his office had charged 21 people in connection with 14 hospices that had billed taxpayers $267 million for sham services. Good. But talk about late to the ball. It wasn’…
Colossal hospice scheme cost California millions, officials say amid intensifying Trump feud
LOS ANGELES — Twenty-one people are facing charges as part of a massive hospice fraud scheme that prosecutors say bilked California’s medical system out of $267 million.
AG Bonta Brags about Fraud Ring ‘Take Down’ as if He’s the Real Nick Shirley
California Attorney General Rob Bonta, who currently has more than 55 lawsuits against President Donald Trump, announced today he’s the real Nick Shirley: “We’ve taken down a hospice fraud ring responsible for $267 Million in fraud against the Medi-Cal system. This isn’t a political game for us. This is about protecting taxpayer dollars and the programs Californians rely on.” We’ve taken down a hospice fraud ring responsible for $267 Million in…
California officials make arrests in sweeping hospice fraud investigation
California Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced Thursday that authorities charged nearly two dozen people suspected of carrying out a major hospice fraud scheme that defrauded the state of millions. Twenty-one people were charged for allegedly carrying out a sweeping scheme that targeted California’s Medicaid program, which is called Medi-Cal. Five were arrested, and over $757,000 in cash was seized, as part of “Operation Skip Trace,” in wh…
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