US federal prosecutors have launched a sweeping nationwide crackdown targeting healthcare fraud, COVID-era relief scams, and other financial crimes collectively worth more than $1 billion.
The enforcement campaign, announced by the US Department of Justice’s Fraud Division, includes dozens of criminal and civil cases involving fraudulent Medicare claims, fake prescriptions, pandemic relief abuse, kickback schemes, disability fraud, and money laundering operations.
One of the most significant cases involved HealthSplash, a digital healthcare platform whose owner was convicted in Florida for orchestrating a scheme that generated fraudulent doctors’ orders and prescriptions used to bill Medicare. Prosecutors described the operation as “one of the most egregious fraud schemes in Florida history.”
According to investigators, the scheme targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries and relied on illegally obtained personal and medical information to create false orders for expensive medical equipment and services.
Authorities also announced charges against multiple individuals accused of abusing pandemic-era government assistance programs. In one case, five defendants from Kentucky, Indiana, and Colorado allegedly participated in a $1.6 million COVID-19 relief fraud scheme involving fake loan applications and fabricated business information.
Another investigation focused on a former Social Security Administration employee accused of participating in a disability benefits fraud operation. Prosecutors say the suspect improperly approved fraudulent disability claims and helped steal taxpayer-funded benefits.
Federal prosecutors also highlighted healthcare fraud cases involving illegal opioid prescriptions, kickback payments, and money laundering. In Missouri, a chiropractor received more than eight years in prison after issuing nearly 95,000 oxycodone pills without legitimate medical purposes.
The Department of Justice said many of the scams exploited programs created during the COVID-19 pandemic, when emergency funding and relaxed verification requirements made federal assistance programs attractive targets for organized fraud groups.
Officials warned that fraudsters increasingly combine identity theft, stolen medical records, fake telehealth services, and digital platforms to scale operations rapidly. Some schemes relied on illegally obtained patient information to submit false Medicare claims or generate fraudulent prescriptions without patients’ knowledge.
The Justice Department said the latest enforcement actions are part of a broader federal effort to eliminate fraud involving taxpayer-funded healthcare and pandemic assistance programs. Prosecutors noted that investigations remain ongoing and additional charges could follow.