The Department of Justice announced the expansion of its Health Care Fraud Strike Force to Philadelphia, with 19 defendants charged in schemes involving over $4 million in fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims.
| PULSE POINTS |
❓ WHAT HAPPENED: The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday it is expanding its Northeast Health Care Fraud Strike Force to Philadelphia, creating a new office in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania to strengthen efforts against alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud involving home health care services. The initiative brings together the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Federal and Pennsylvania authorities simultaneously charged 19 defendants accused of participating in schemes involving more than $4 million in fraudulent Medicare and Medicaid claims, including home health care company owners, employees, aides, and Medicaid recipients 📺 DETAIL: Prosecutors allege some defendants billed Medicaid for services while they were incarcerated, hospitalized, working other jobs, or traveling overseas, while others submitted overlapping or impossible work hours, including claims for more than 24 hours of care in a single day. One home health care agency and its owners were also charged with allegedly billing Medicaid using false clock-in and clock-out records. The Justice Department said the Philadelphia strike force will work alongside the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and other law enforcement agencies to investigate and prosecute health care fraud. Officials said the expansion follows the recent addition of strike force offices in several other states and comes after nationwide enforcement actions involving more than $15 billion in alleged health care fraud losses in 2025 and more than $6 billion in alleged losses in 2026. 💬 KEY QUOTE: “The Strike Force’s expansion makes clear that the Fraud Division will use every available legal tool to identify, investigate, and prosecute offenses against the American people.” – DOJ statement 📺 FLASHBACK: The strike force program was previously expanded to states including California, Arizona, and Minnesota, following major health care fraud enforcement actions involving a minimum over $21 billion in alleged losses in recent years. |
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