DOJ announces 455 indictments in connection to billions in alleged fraud
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche during a press conference at the White House. (Molly Riley/official White House photo)
By Sarah Roderick-Fitch
The Center Square
The U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday that 455 people have been indicted for alleged health care fraud, believed to cost taxpayers over $6.5 billion.
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the defendants spanned 45 states and territories.
“These individuals participated in health care fraud schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid and other health care programs,” Blanche said during a press conference.
The acting attorney general highlighted a corporate executive in Arizona accused of fraud involving over $1 billing “involving unnecessary wound grafts.” He added that the alleged “scheme” cost taxpayers over $1 million “per patient in total.”
“Our indictment charges 11 defendants for over $2 billion in fraud and fraudulent claims in connection to alleged would care schemes. The indictment also alleges that these individuals then used the taxpayer money to bankroll multi-million-dollar homes, luxury vehicles,” said Blanche.
In addition, the defendant has been accused of using the money to purchase expensive jewelry and funding the construction of a $4.6 million beach resort in the Philippines.
Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy, Jr., described how HHS is tracking down fraudsters.
“We are deploying advanced artificial intelligence and data analytics to identify fraudulent billing patterns in real time, stop improper payments before they occur, and strengthen oversight across federal health programs. Our objective is straightforward: stop the fraud before it happens,” said Kennedy.
FBI Director Kash Patel said that in the last two weeks alone, “perpetrators and criminals who have been arrested and apprehended from around the world, totaling over six and seven billion dollars in fraud in money stolen from the American people.”
The investigations stem from the White House Anti-Fraud Task Force, with support from the DOJ, FBI, HHS, the Office of Inspector General, and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
Right Wing Propaganda
As usual, this administration is showing it's weaponization of the DOJ. Where is any investigation into Ohio's fraud? It's not gonna happen because Ohio's fraud happened under Republican control.
•••••Publisher's note: Wrong. Here is the ongoing investigation into Ohio's fraud: https://www.ohioattorneygeneral.gov/Media/News-Releases/June-2026/Six-M…
This will be on our site tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
Six Medicaid Providers Facing Fraud, Theft Charges
6/23/2026 From Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Indictments filed this month by the office of Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson accuse six Medicaid providers of stealing a combined $326,824 from the government healthcare program for the needy.
“Medicaid fraud steals from taxpayers and vulnerable Ohioans,” Wilson said. “If you try to cheat this program, you will be held accountable.”
The cases include a provider who allegedly falsified timesheets, a home-health aide who billed for services while working another job and a doctor accused of billing Medicaid almost $200,000 for fabricated behavioral-health services.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), an arm of the Attorney General’s Office, investigated the cases and secured the indictments in Franklin County.
Wilson announced the indictments as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The strategically coordinated law enforcement action led to criminal charges against 455 defendants nationwide for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes totaling more than $6.5 billion. Ohio was one of 45 states and territories involved in the sweep.
Among those indicted on state charges in Ohio:
Dr. Tiffany Bell, 45, of Westerville, was charged after an MFCU investigation revealed a $197,981 loss for Medicaid. The unit began investigating Bell in June 2025, after a referral flagged her for a significant spike in claims with a billing code for therapeutic behavioral services; she was the highest billing provider for that specific code in 2025. Interviews with the families of children listed as recipients revealed that none had received services from Bell. Investigators also discovered that the supporting medical records were fabricated and that Bell allegedly obtained the children’s Medicaid ID numbers unlawfully.
Ashley Fritz, 37, of Cleveland, is accused of billing Medicaid for 30 hours of weekly home-health services while working only nine hours per week, resulting in a loss of $1,875 for Medicaid.
Alexandra Holford, 38, of Elyria, allegedly inflated her billed hours for home-health services to a client, resulting in a $1,525 loss to Medicaid. When interviewed by investigators, she claimed the fraudulent billing stemmed from personal difficulties and expressed a willingness to repay the money.
Deborah Nickler, 43, of Tiffin, is accused of billing for transportation and home-health services on dates when no services were provided. The loss to Medicaid between May and October 2025 totaled $1,766.
Anita Nixon, 47, of Cincinnati, drew investigators’ attention after billing for prolonged periods of 16 hours per day with no days off. An investigation determined that she could not have provided all the home-health services, as she also held a full-time job at a state hospital. Her full-time job hours and her billed in-home services totaled more than 24 hours per day. When confronted by investigators, Nixon admitted that she provided the in-home services only after her full-time shifts ended until around midnight. From November 2023 through February 2026, the loss to Medicaid totaled $110,238.
Jimmie Smith, 44, of Columbus, is accused of falsifying timesheets to make it appear that he had provided home-health services to a client after the services ended in July 2025. He also allegedly claimed that he provided services when he was working a job at JPMorgan Chase. The loss to Medicaid totaled $13,439.
Ohio’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which operates within the Health Care Fraud Section, collaborates with federal, state and local partners to root out Medicaid fraud and protect vulnerable adults from harm. The unit investigates and prosecutes healthcare providers who defraud the state Medicaid program and enforces the state’s Patient Abuse and Neglect Law.
Indictments are criminal allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.