Feds: Medicaid Fraud Reached ‘Epidemic Levels’ In D.C. Region

Federal prosecutors said Medicaid fraud has reached “epidemic levels” in the nation’s capital, as they announced charges Thursday against 25 people accused of making claims based on fake symptoms and personal home care that was never performed.

U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. said agents fanned out across the D.C. region to make arrests and seize six luxury vehicles and 49 bank accounts, capping off a multiyear investigation that prosecutors deemed the “largest health care fraud takedown” in the city’s history.

“An astonishing amount of money was stolen from the American taxpayer,” said Valerie Parlave, assistant director in charge of the FBI’s Washington Field Office.

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