The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today announced the results of a groundbreaking healthcare fraud enforcement operation that has charged more than 300 defendants in connection with fraudulent schemes totaling approximately $14.6 billion in false claims.
Dubbed the “2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown,” this unprecedented crackdown involved the filing of 189 federal cases across 50 federal districts and 91 state lawsuits spanning 12 states. Among the 324 defendants named, 96 were licensed medical professionals, including doctors, pharmacists, and nurse practitioners.
The extensive investigation, carried out by federal and state law enforcement agencies in collaboration with twelve state attorneys general, resulted in the seizure of over $245 million in assets, including luxury vehicles, cash, and cryptocurrency. Matthew R. Galeotti, Chief of the DOJ’s Criminal Division, emphasized that these funds will be returned to American taxpayers.
“When criminals defraud these programs, they are not merely committing theft; they are endangering the sustainability of healthcare for seniors, disabled individuals, and vulnerable citizens nationwide,” Galeotti said during a press briefing.
This historic takedown, more than doubling the previous record of $6 billion, halted multiple complex national and international fraud schemes. Juliet T. Hodgkins, Acting Inspector General for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, highlighted a major scheme involving durable medical equipment companies that submitted over $10 billion in fraudulent Medicare claims for medical supplies never delivered to patients.
Operation Gold Rush, a key Medicare-related scheme, targeted the identities of over one million Americans to submit false claims. To date, 19 individuals have been charged and 12 arrested—including arrests overseas and at U.S. points of entry.
The DOJ also charged 74 defendants, including 44 medical professionals, for illegally diverting more than 15 million opioid pills in schemes that fueled the opioid epidemic for personal profit. “We dismantled pill mills and corrupt pharmacies that perpetuated addiction crises across communities,” Galeotti noted.
In addition, the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services successfully halted over $4 billion in improper payments and suspended 205 providers from federal health program billing in the months leading up to the takedown.
Civil charges have been brought against 20 individuals for $14.2 million in alleged fraud, and law enforcement has reached settlements totaling $34.3 million with 106 defendants.
This enforcement action aligns with the DOJ’s aggressive commitment to enforcing the False Claims Act and follows the two most productive years in FCA recoveries, with a $2.9 billion haul reported in January 2025—an increase over 2023.
