Three individuals associated with Latham Taxi Inc. have been charged in a superseding indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, wire fraud, and conspiracy to pay health care kickbacks, allegedly defrauding Medicaid of over $660,000.
Muhammad Zishan, Madiha Javed, and Ghazali Shaikh are accused of operating a scheme between January 2020 and February 2025, submitting false claims for non-emergency medical transportation services. These claims included "ghost rides," services not provided or medically necessary, and inflated charges by treating group trips as individual ones.
The indictment further alleges that the defendants offered Medicaid recipients cash, rent abatement, and controlled substances to incentivize them to use Latham Taxi Inc. for transportation, thereby generating additional fraudulent reimbursements. This prosecution is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
First Assistant United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said the scheme involved "false claims, illegal kickbacks, and inducements used to generate Medicaid reimbursements," reflecting "a deliberate effort to drain public funds through fraud." Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz of HHS-OIG added that such actions "can affect the availability of funds and services for others and drive up the cost of taxpayer-funded health care."
FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli emphasized that Medicaid is "designed to help people access the care they need," not for criminals to "extort taxpayer dollars." The alleged conduct resulted in at least $666,281.42 in fraudulent Medicaid funds.
The defendants face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison for the fraud charges and five years for the kickback charges, along with fines and supervised release. They were arraigned yesterday, with Zishan detained, Javed awaiting a detention hearing, and Shaikh released on conditions. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.