A Stoughton, Massachusetts, man has been charged in connection with an alleged scheme to defraud Medicare of over $5 million, submitting claims for durable medical equipment (DME) that was medically unnecessary and tainted by kickbacks. The charges against Bhamin Chhatrapati, 40, were filed today in federal court in Boston as part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
This nationwide law enforcement action, announced by U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley, has resulted in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and other licensed medical professionals, for alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes totaling over $6.5 billion in false claims. The Takedown involved cases across 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with a record 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating. International cooperation also led to the apprehension of health care fraudsters in Kyrenia, Estonia, and the Philippines.
Chhatrapati is specifically charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, involving over $5.1 million fraudulently billed to Medicare, of which more than $2.6 million was paid. Prosecutors allege that from approximately February 2023 through September 2024, Chhatrapati and co-conspirators worked with telemarketers to obtain Medicare beneficiaries' medical information. This information was then allegedly used to create fraudulent medical documentation, making it appear that practitioners had legitimately prescribed medically necessary DME, for which claims were submitted to Medicare. Reimbursements received were then used to pay telemarketers per approved brace order.
The broader coordinated enforcement action also includes significant administrative measures. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services suspended 1,079 providers and revoked billing privileges for 1,403. Additionally, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General, pursued 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements totaling over $73 million and initiated 25 actions seeking more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund.
Assistant U.S. Attorneys Sarah Hoefle and Lauren Graber of the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Massachusetts’ Criminal Division are prosecuting Chhatrapati's case. The Department of Justice emphasizes that the details contained in the charging document are allegations, and the defendant is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.