The Department of Justice has announced a massive 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, resulting in charges against 455 defendants, including 90 doctors and licensed medical professionals, for alleged schemes totaling over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. The U.S. Attorney's Office for the Northern District of Iowa also revealed criminal charges and a civil enforcement action as part of this coordinated nationwide effort.
This year's takedown marks a new level of cooperation, involving cases in 56 federal districts, 45 U.S. states and territories, and a record 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units. Unprecedented international collaboration led to the apprehension and return of health care fraudsters from Cyprus, Estonia, and the Philippines, some connected to multi-billion dollar schemes. The operation utilized advanced data analytics and resulted in the seizure of more than $182 million in assets.
The comprehensive enforcement action included actions by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to suspend 1,079 providers and revoke billing privileges for 1,403. Additionally, 48 Civil Monetary Payment settlements amounted to over $73 million, and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’s Office of Inspector General sought more than $10 billion in payments to the Medicare Trust Fund. The Drug Enforcement Administration also pursued 928 administrative cases to revoke authority for handling controlled substances.
In the Northern District of Iowa, Jacob Hughes, 35, owner of Hughes Home Care, Inc., d/b/a Synergy Homecare, was indicted for allegedly defrauding the Veterans Community Care Program of over $350,000 by submitting claims for unprovided home health care services, even after a veteran client's death. Hughes purportedly used the proceeds for sports gambling debts. Separately, Heartland Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, P.C., and its owner, Eugene J. Cherny, of Des Moines, face civil charges for allegedly providing Medicare and Tricare with false invoices for skin substitute products, leading to over $2 million in improper payments.
These cases are part of a broader initiative by the Department of Justice's National Fraud Enforcement Division, supporting President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty.