By Allan Lengel ticklethewire.com
WASHINGTON — The feds on Friday said 94 people were charged in schemes to collect more than $251 million in Medicare claims, calling it the largest health care fraud takedown since the Medicare Fraud Strike Force was created in 2007.
Federal authorities alleged that the suspected cheats took part in schemes to submit bogus Medicare claims for treatments that were were medically unnecessary and often never provided, according to the Justice Department.
“With today’s arrests, we’re putting would-be criminals on notice: Health care fraud is no longer a safe bet,” Attorney General Eric Holder Jr. said in a statement. “The federal government is working aggressively—and collaboratively—to pursue health care criminals around the country and to bring these offenders to justice.”
The fraudulent claims involved physical therapy and occupational therapy schemes, home health care schemes, HIV infusion fraud schemes and durable medical equipment (DME) schemes, authorities said.
Earlier on Friday, 36 defendants were arrested in Miami, New York, Baton Rouge and Detroit.
