A week after federal officials announced eight people were arrested for hospice fraud, California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced that his office arrested five people suspected of healthcare fraud, money laundering, and identity theft, defrauding $267M from the state.
“Operation Skip Trace resulted in the arrest of five people after ten different locations were searched in Southern California,” according to a press release from his office.
Two handguns and more than $757,000 in cash were also seized.
In a statement, Bonta said it’s about “protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting the programs that sick and vulnerable Californians rely on, and protecting our state.”
“Over the life of this fraud scheme, not a single legitimate hospice service was ever provided yet millions were billed in a brazen, calculated scheme that exploited the Medi-Cal system,” the statement continued. “This wasn’t a mistake or a loophole; it was deliberate fraud. This kind of abuse undermines trust, drains critical resources, and threatens care for those who truly depend on it. This is a perfect example that we have taken a firm stand to investigate, prosecute, and shut down hospice fraud wherever it exists.”
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