Brooklyn Adult Daycare Owner Sentenced to 76 Months in Prison for Leadership Role in $68 Million Medicaid Fraud Scheme

BROOKLYN, NY - Earlier today, in federal court in Brooklyn, Zakia Kahn was sentenced by United States District Judge Natasha C. Merle to 76 months in prison in connection with her leadership role in carrying out a $64 million Medicaid fraud and illegal kickback scheme at her two social adult daycare centers and a home health care company. In August 2025, Khan pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay health care kickbacks. As part of her sentence, Kahn was also ordered to pay over $56 million in restitution and to forfeit $5 million in fraud proceeds, including two properties, cash, and gold jewelry seized during a search of her home, as pictured below.

Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General of the Justice Department's National Fraud Enforcement Division; Pete Gizas, Acting Special Agent in Charge, Homeland Security Investigations, New York (HSI New York); Miranda L. Bennett, Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); and Jessica S. Tisch, Commissioner, New York City Police Department (NYPD) announced the sentence.

"Today's sentencing sends a strong message of deterrence in our District," stated United States Attorney Nocella. "Our Office and the Justice Department are focused on protecting American taxpayers from fraudsters and as such, we will vigorously prosecute corrupt health care owners and operators in our district."

"Khan acted with staggering greed, leading a scheme to defraud Medicaid of millions of dollars intended for people in need. She and her co-conspirators set up social adult daycares but, instead of providing care and services to our most vulnerable neighbors, they enriched themselves with cash, gold, and property," said HSI Acting Special Agent in Charge Gizas. "Today's sentence sends a message: we will be relentless in our pursuit of justice against fraudsters. HSI is working side by side with our law enforcement partners to uncover and dismantle complex fraud networks like this one."

"Social adult day care and home health services are designed to support seniors, not line the pockets of fraudsters," said HHS-OIG Acting Deputy Inspector General Bennett. "Today's sentence sends an important message that anyone who illicitly exploits the Medicaid program will be held accountable to the full extent of the law."

"Zakia Khan stole $64 million from Medicaid through bribes and kickbacks-money meant to support the most vulnerable," said NYPD Commissioner Tisch. "This was not only deeply illegal but also immoral, and the NYPD will continue to investigate anyone who exploits government programs for personal gain. I thank our NYPD investigators and all our partners in law enforcement for their work in stopping this criminal and bringing this case to a close."

According to court documents, Khan owned two social adult daycare centers-Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Happy Family) and Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc. (Family Social) in the Coney Island section of Brooklin. She also owned a home health care fiscal intermediary called Responsible Care Staffing Inc. and an entity she used to receive and disguise fraud proceeds called Tanwee Services Inc.

From approximately October 2017 through July 2024, in exchange for kickbacks and bribes, a web of marketers referred Medicaid recipients to Khan's social adult daycare centers. As depicted in the pictures below, Khan and the marketers paid kickbacks and bribes to the Medicaid recipients to induce them to sign up for services that Khan then billed to Medicaid. These services were never actually provided as represented to Medicaid.

Between 2017 and 2024, Happy Family and Family Social fraudulently billed Medicaid approximately $64 million. Medicaid paid approximately $56 million based on these false and fraudulent claims. Khan and her co-conspirators used multiple business entities to launder the fraud proceeds and generate the cash used to pay kickbacks and bribes to the marketers and the Medicaid recipients.

Zakia Khan on an undercover recording paying illegal kickbacks inside her office at Happy Family.

Medicaid recipients receiving illegal cash kickbacks in exchange for filling out false attendance sheets for Zakia Khan's social adult daycare centers.

HHS-OIG, HSI New York, and NYPD investigated the case.

Deputy Chief Patrick J. Campbell and Trial Attorney Leonid Sandlar of the National Fraud Enforcement Division's Health Care Fraud Section are prosecuting the case with the assistance of Assistant U.S. Attorney Claire Kedeshian for the Eastern District of New York, who is handling forfeiture matters.

On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (Fraud 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.

The Defendant:

ZAKIA KHAN
Age: 55
Brooklyn, New York

E.D.N.Y. Docket No.: 24-CR-409 (NCM)