DOJ: 21 people charged nationwide with $150M in COVID fraud

By MICHAEL BALSAMO and JENNIFER McDERMOTT
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department announced Wednesday that 21 people have been charged in the past nine days as part of a nationwide enforcement push to root out those who exploit the pandemic through health care fraud schemes. The cases resulted in about $150 million in alleged false billings and theft from federal pandemic assistance programs. The DOJ seized over $8 million in cash and other fraud proceeds. Some defendants are accused of offering COVID-19 testing to get people to provide their personal identifying information and a saliva or blood sample. That information and the samples were then allegedly used to submit fraudulent claims to Medicare for unnecessary, far more expensive tests or services.