The Department of Justice (DOJ) has uncovered a massive Medicare fraud involving over 300 defendants, amounting to over $14.6 billion. Dubbed “Operation Gold Rush,” it involved Medicare claims that patients never received or were subjected to unnecessary operations for the sole purpose of making fraudulent claims. Some end-of-life patients were subjected to unnecessary skin graft procedures, resulting in fraudulent Medicare claims. In one case, Arizona-based defendants purchased skin grafts known as “amniotic wound allografts” and applied them to elderly Medicare recipients, receiving millions in medical claims. “Patients and their families trusted these providers with their lives. Instead of receiving care, they became victims of elaborate criminal schemes,” Head of the Criminal Division Matthew Galeotti said.
Over 15.6 million pills of controlled substances were also distributed over the course of the fraudulent campaign, further exacerbating the opioid crisis. Fifty-eight cases involving 25 doctors were linked to the distribution of controlled substances. The Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) assisted in the operation by investigating doctors and pharmacists allegedly involved in the operation. “These pills ended up on our streets in the hands of dealers and in the path of addiction,” a DEA official said. The campaign also involved foreign individuals from various