National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 455 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $6.5 Billion in Alleged Fraud

Albuquerque, NM - Today, F.A. United States Attorney Ryan Ellison and Attorney General Raúl Torrez announced the filing of a federal civil forfeiture complaint seeking to forfeit more than $2 million that was seized due to allegations that the assets constitute proceeds of a scheme to defraud Medicaid and state criminal charges against an additional defendant. These actions in federal and state court are part of the Department of Justice's 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.

The federal civil forfeiture action stems from an alleged scheme by Safeway Medical Transportation LLC, a New Mexico non-emergency medical transportation provider, to fraudulently bill the New Mexico Medicaid program for transportation services. According to the complaint, Safeway received Medicaid reimbursements for claims in which Safeway drivers were allegedly billing Medicaid for driving themselves to appointments and for trips that did not occur, engaging in other fraudulent billing practices, including duplicate trips, inflated mileage, and falsified transportation records. The complaint seeks forfeiture of more than $2 million in seized funds that are alleged to be proceeds of health care fraud and money laundering.

In a separate criminal case, the New Mexico Department of Justice charged a McKinley County man with multiple felony offenses after allegedly using forged prescriptions to obtain Schedule II controlled substances from a pharmacy. The charges include acquiring controlled substances by misrepresentation, forgery, and violations of the Controlled Substances Act.

"Fraud does not have to be sophisticated to be devastating," said F.A. United States Attorney Ryan Ellison. "When healthcare providers build a business model around false claims and fabricated records, they are stealing directly from the public programs that vulnerable communities rely on. We will use every tool at our disposal to trace these funds, dismantle these operations, and claw back every dollar stolen from the public."

"These cases reflect my Office's ongoing commitment to protecting taxpayer-funded health care programs, safeguarding public resources, and holding accountable those who exploit medical systems for personal gain," said Attorney General Raúl Torrez. "Through our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and partnerships with federal law enforcement agencies, we continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute health care fraud, prescription drug fraud, and related financial crimes."

The charges announced today by F.A. United States Attorney Ellison and Attorney General Torrez 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. Today's 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. In addition, unprecedented international cooperation over the two-week Takedown resulted in the apprehension and return to the United States of the following health care fraudsters: 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, in the Philippines, one of FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters in connection with a previously-charged $1.2 billion telemedicine fraud scheme. The Takedown involves the cutting-edge use of data analytics to target the worst actors; 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.

Today's coordinated enforcement action involves a whole-of-government approach, including:

• Actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403 providers.
• 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.
• 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 cases are being prosecuted by the Health Care Fraud Unit's National Rapid Response, Florida, Gulf Coast, Los Angeles, Midwest, New England, Northeast, Texas, and West Coast Strike Forces; U.S. Attorneys' Offices for the Middle District of Alabama, District of Arizona, Central District of California, Southern District of California, District of Colorado, District of Connecticut, District of Delaware, Middle District of Florida, Northern District of Florida, Southern District of Florida, Northern District of Georgia, District of Hawaii, District of Idaho, Northern District of Illinois, Northern District of Iowa, Southern District of Iowa, Western District of Kentucky, Eastern District of Louisiana, Middle District of Louisiana, District of Massachusetts, Eastern District of Michigan, Southern District of Mississippi, District of Montana, District of Nebraska, District of New Hampshire, District of New Jersey, District of New Mexico, Eastern District of New York, Northern District of New York, Southern District of New York, Eastern District of North Carolina, Middle District of North Carolina, Western District of North Carolina, Northern District of Ohio, Northern District of Oklahoma, Western District of Oklahoma, District of Oregon, Eastern District of Pennsylvania, Middle District of Pennsylvania, Western District of Pennsylvania, District of Puerto Rico, District of Rhode Island, District of South Carolina, District of South Dakota, Middle District of Tennessee, Western District of Tennessee, Northern District of Texas, Southern District of Texas, Western District of Texas, District of Vermont, Eastern District of Virginia, Western District of Virginia, Northern District of West Virginia, Southern District of West Virginia, Eastern District of Wisconsin, and Western District of Wisconsin; and State Attorneys General's Offices, through their MFCUs, in Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia. In addition, the MFCUs for Alabama, North Carolina, South Dakota, Texas, and Virigina participated in the investigation of federal cases announced today.

Descriptions of each case involved in today's enforcement action are available on the Department's website here.

The District of New Mexico, in particular, worked with the Department's Health Care Fraud Unit of the Fraud Division and the following law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute the cases filed during the Takedown: the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Internal Revenue Service (IRS), the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG), and the New Mexico Department of Justice Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU).

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.

An indictment, information, or complaint is merely an allegation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.

These cases were investigated by the NMDOJ's Medicaid Fraud and Elder Abuse Bureau (MFEAB). The New Mexico MFEAB receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,623,761.71 for federal fiscal year 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $1,207,920.57 for fiscal year 2026, is funded by the State of New Mexico.