Assistant Attorney General Lanny A. Breuer of the Criminal Division Speaks at the Press Conference on Medicare Fraud Strike Force Actions

Good afternoon. Most doctors, nurses and health care professionals across the country do their jobs honorably and honestly. But today’s arrests make clear that this is unfortunately not always the case. As alleged in the indictments unsealed today, doctors, nurses, and medical professionals, from Los Angeles to New York and cities in between, have cheated taxpayers and patients alike by defrauding the Medicare program. Medical professionals charge for phantom procedures and unnecessary equipment. Kickbacks dictate treatment. Fraud drives prescriptions. Criminal’s profit, and taxpayers foot the bill.

Medicare fraud is not confined to a single state or region. It does not involve only a select practice area. It is neither isolated nor incidental.

But today’s nationwide takedown shows that if you engage in these fraudulent schemes, you will face the consequences. Our approach to combating health care fraud is strategic and comprehensive. We are confronting this national problem with a national response. If you attempt to defraud Medicare, we will investigate and, where appropriate, prosecute you for those crimes – whether you are involved in the home health care business in South Florida, podiatry in Detroit, or diagnostic testing in Brooklyn.

Our Strike Force operations are targeting offenders in areas with the highest concentrations of fraud, and using sophisticated techniques to locate health care fraudsters. As the Attorney General said, the Strike Force is having tremendous success. In just under four years, this collaborative effort by the Criminal Division, the U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and our partners at the FBI and HHS OIG has led to charges against nearly 1,000 defendants.

We are committed to continuing this aggressive fight against Medicare fraud. Thank you.