Crime
PHOTOS: US arrests 455 individuals, uncovers $6.5B in healthcare fraud
The Justice Department has announced criminal charges against 455 individuals following a two-week nationwide crackdown on healthcare fraud, uncovering schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims from insurers.
The crackdown, which spanned 45 US states and territories, was announced on Tuesday, June 23, by Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, who called it “the greatest combined federal and state effort combating health care fraud in history.”
A nurse in Texas was charged with billing Medicare for $1 million for each patient to whom she applied unnecessary tissue grafts, the feds alleged.
Marizel Yukee, 49, of Las Vegas, was charged with fraudulently billing $906 million in claims for which she was paid $297 million.
Marizel Yukee
She allegedly funneled the stolen funds to buy posh cars, real estate, jewelry, and even built a $4.6 million beach resort in the Philippines, prosecutors claimed.
The $865,000 custom Bulgari necklace.
When she was arrested, the feds seized $30 million from her bank accounts, $467,000 in cash, a $594,000 Ferrari 296 GTS, seven other luxury vehicles, an $865,000 custom Bulgari necklace, and another million worth of jewelry, officials claimed.
Marizel Yukee and and her husband Rodelson Yukee shopping at David Yurman in Las Vegas.
Separately, three Florida nurses were busted for a $118 million tissue graft scheme. Leigh Tesar allegedly spent $215,000 on a luxury box suite at the Raymond James Stadium, where the Tampa Bay Buccaneers play, according to a criminal indictment.
She also allegedly spent $400,000 on fine art, according to the court papers.
The vice president of sales at a company that sold bioengineered skin substitutes allegedly carried out an illegal kickback scheme from 2021 to 2024, paying medical providers to push their product, prosecutors claim.
Brian Rowan, 47, of Las Vegas, made over $24 million at the company and bought multimillion-dollar homes, million-dollar life insurance policies, and high-end watches and cars, including a $135,000 Maserati, the feds alleged.
Medical sales vice president Brian Rowan allegedly spent the stolen cash on a Ferrari 488 Spider convertible.
The Arizona-based company was peddling amniotic wound grafts, which it purchased from tissue banks and then sold at a 2,000% markup — or $1,450 per square centimeter, the feds said, which comes out to $224.75 per square inch.
Rowan and other execs used 40% of their profits to pay out kickbacks, officials alleged.
The scheme targeted hospice patients for the skin grafts, which would be applied without the consultation of their doctors, without protecting against infections, and sometimes applying them to superficial wounds that didn’t require the grafts or to larger areas than needed, prosecutors claimed.
In total, he and his co-conspirators billed $1.2 billion for unnecessary allografts and were ultimately paid $614 million, the feds allege.
Two others, Jeffrey King and Alexandra Gehrke, have previously been sentenced to 15.5 years and 14 years, respectively, behind bars for their roles in this scheme, which netted them $97 million in cash, $21 million in life insurance policies, and four luxury cars, including a Ferrari 488 Spider convertible and three top-end Mercedes vehicles, the feds alleged.
One alleged fraudster in Illinois billed Medicaid for behavioral health services for hundreds of hours a day — despite the fact he didn’t have enough staff to justify it, the feds alleged.
Daniel Robinson, 51, of Palos Park, Illinois, allegedly billed for $67 million for counseling and therapy services that wouldn’t have been realistic even if all of the providers at his company, ODA Solutions Inc., worked 24 hours a day, according to a complaint.
Daniel Robinson,
His total claims were $92 million, and he received $75 million, according to the docs.
The money was diverted toward $44 million in investment accounts, $10 million to open a luxury car dealership, $4 million to buy real estate and fund home renovations, court papers allege.
Robinson’s 2020 Bentley Continental GT V8.
He also allegedly owned a yacht named Butt Nekkid that was docked in Chicago, court papers show.
Robinson’s boat, the Butt Nekkid.
A Texas doctor allegedly carried out an $89 million medical fraud scheme that ended with a student athlete’s death, the feds alleged.
Dr. Jason Finkelstein, 53, of Fort Worth, Texas, allegedly tested the hearts of student athletes at campuses around the country, submitting $89 million in claims under his two companies, Cardiovascular Testing Services PA and Cardiovascular Healthcare Associates PA, the feds claimed.
Yet Finkelstein made up bogus conditions to justify the cardiac testing of the students and signed off on the results after only reviewing them for seconds, prosecutors claimed.
In October 2024, he allegedly claimed one student’s results were “normal” even though the tests showed the student potentially had heart problems.
The student died 24 days later of cardiac arrest during practice with his basketball team, the feds alleged.
Even after Finkelstein was told of the student’s death, he continued to rubber-stamp test results, prosecutors claimed.
A Florida man allegedly ran two bogus medical supply companies and fraudulently billed Medicaid and Medicare for $3.76 billion, court papers allege.
Ibrahim Hilmi, 58, of Miami, billed for medical equipment and wound dressing that his companies, ABRH Car Inc. and Sunshine Senior Solutions LLC, never provided, court papers alleged.
Ibrahim Hilmi arrives in South Florida after being busted for an alleged $3.76 billion fraud scheme.
Most of the money he billed for was never paid to him, but he did receive $5.7 million in his companies’ accounts, according to a criminal indictment.
And within weeks, that money was transferred to Hong Kong and Indonesia, the court papers allege.
When Hilmi started getting negative reviews accusing him of health care fraud, he fled the country and kept the racket going by getting others to run his business accounts, the indictment alleges.
He was arrested in Kyrenia, Cyprus, and brought to Florida for his first court appearance in the case Monday, prosecutors said.
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The Benue State Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals in separate intelligence-led operations in Otukpo and Ugbokolo areas of the state.
The spokesperson for the command, DSP Orchia Peter Aondongu, who disclosed this in a statement issued on Friday, August 7, 2026 said 35 mobile phones were recovered from the men.
According to the PPRO, three of the suspects, Younas Mohammad, Ahmad Nunil, and Aslam Muhammad, were arrested on August 4 at Adoka Motor Park in Otukpo Local Government Area while allegedly attempting to board a vehicle to Adoka village.
The suspects claimed that they were in Otukpo to market cosmetics and mobile gadgets.
However, the police said none of the claimed products was found in their possession, raising questions about their activities and movements.
In a separate operation on August 5, police arrested two other Pakistani nationals, Juma Sharif and Muhammed Sharif, at a hotel in Ugbokolo.
The two suspects reportedly claimed to be dealers in Android phones.
A search of their belongings led to the recovery of 11 Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones.
Further investigation resulted in the recovery of 23 additional Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one Infinix Hot 60, bringing the total to 35 mobile phones.
“The Benue State Police Command has arrested five Pakistani nationals and recovered thirty-five (35) mobile phones in separate intelligence-led operations conducted in Otukpo and Ugbokolo areas,” the statement read.
“On 4th August 2026, operatives of the Command, acting on credible intelligence, arrested three Pakistanis at Adoka Motor Park, Otukpo Local Government Area. The suspects, identified as Younas Mohammad, 36; Ahmad Nunil, 38; and Aslam Muhammad, 46, were intercepted while attempting to board a vehicle to Adoka village.
“During preliminary questioning, the suspects stated that they were in Otukpo for the purpose of marketing cosmetics and mobile gadgets none of which were found in their possession. This made their explanation, activities and movements within the area suspicious, requiring more clarification.
“In a separate operation on 5th August 2026, two other Pakistanis, Juma Sharif, 30, and Muhammed Sharif, 25, were arrested at a local hotel in Ugbokolo following credible intelligence received by the Police.
“The two suspects claimed to be dealers in Android phones. A search of their belongings led to the recovery of eleven (11) Tecno Camon 50 Pro mobile phones.
“Further investigation and operational follow-up resulted in the recovery of an additional twenty-three (23) Tecno Camon 50 Pro phones and one (1) Infinix Hot 60 phone, bringing the total number of recovered mobile phones to thirty-five (35).
“The five suspects have been transferred to the State Criminal Investigation Department (SCID), Makurdi, where discreet and comprehensive investigations are ongoing to establish the circumstances surrounding their presence, activities and movements within the State.
“It is strongly suspected that the possession of those mobile phones is a decoy for their clandestine activities in the rural areas of the state. This is even more probable as they hardly speak or understand english.
“The Benue State Police Command reassures members of the public that the operations form part of its proactive, intelligence-led policing strategy aimed at identifying potential security threats, preventing criminal activities and safeguarding lives and property across the State.
“The Commissioner of Police, Benue State Command, CP CLETUS C. N. NWADIOGBU, psc(+), mnips, PhD, commends the officers involved in the operations and members of the public whose timely information contributed to the arrests.
“He further urges residents to remain vigilant and promptly report suspicious persons, movements or activities to the Police.
“The Command will continue to work with relevant stakeholders and members of the public to maintain peace and security across Benue State. The public will be updated as the investigation progress.”
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