News Articles

If you wish to add a new article to the website please submit it to info@naddi.org!

Search by Topic

Return to News Main Page

Two California Residents Plead Guilty in Connection with $16M Hospice Fraud Scheme and Money Laundering Scheme

posted yesterday
Two California residents pleaded guilty yesterday in connection with their roles in defrauding Medicare of nearly $16 million through sham hospice companies and to laundering the proceeds of the fraud as part of a multi-year scheme. According to court documents, Karpis Srapyan, 35, of Winnetka, California, conspired with others, including co-defendants Petros Fichidzhyan and Juan Carlos Esparza, to bill Medicare for hospice services that were not medically necessary and never provided. To conduct their fraudulent scheme, they used a series of four sham hospice companies: one owned by Esparza and the other three owned by foreign nationals but controlled by the ...

VA: Former Chief Operating Officer of Pain Care Centers Sentenced

posted yesterday
Jennifer Adams To Serve 36 Months for Concealing Fraud and Drug Conspiracies ROANOKE, Va. –The former chief operating officer and practice manager of several southwest Virginia pain clinics was sentenced yesterday to 36 months in federal prison for her role in healthcare fraud and drug conspiracies at the clinics. Jennifer Adams, 52, of Mount Pleasant, South Carolina, served as the Chief Operating Officer of L5 Medical Holdings, a company doing business under the name “Pain Care Centers” that operated clinics in Woodlawn, Lynchburg, Madison Heights, Blacksburg, and Christiansburg. In November 2024, Adams pled guilty to helping conceal illegal prescribing ...

Judge orders CVS' Omnicare unit to pay $949 million over invalid prescriptions

posted yesterday
A federal judge ordered CVS Health's (CVS.N), opens new tab Omnicare unit to pay $948.8 million in penalties and damages, in a whistleblower lawsuit claiming it fraudulently billed the U.S. government for invalid drug prescriptions. In a Monday evening order, U.S. District Judge Colleen McMahon in Manhattan imposed a $542-million penalty for filing 3,342,032 false claims between 2010 and 2018. Read Full Article #CivilCase #HealthcareFraud

How veterinary sedative xylazine transformed Pa.'s illicit drug supply

posted 8 days ago
2nd of 5 Part Series The drug that has overtaken Philadelphia's illicit street supply first came to the United States less than two decades ago. Now, "it's to the point that basically everything [the Philadelphia Department of Health] tests is fentanyl and xylazine," said Dr. David T. O'Gurek. O'Gurek is a vice chairman of Lehigh Valley Health Network's department of family medicine, innovation, equity and wellness. Read Full Article #Xylazine #Pennsylvania

FL: Four Pensacola Women Charged with Illegal Drug Diversion

posted 9 days ago
Today, United States Attorney John P. Heekin announced criminal charges against four defendants with an alleged scheme to unlawfully divert oxycodone, hydrocodone, and amphetamine. The charges filed in federal court are part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. All the cases are part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants for their alleged participation in healthcare fraud and illegal drug diversion schemes involving the submission of more than $14.6 billion in intended loss and over 15 million pills of illegally diverted controlled substances. ...

Saginaw Fentanyl Dealer Sentenced to Federal Prison For Conspiracy to Possess with Intent to Distribute Fentanyl

posted 9 days ago
Patrick Chamberlain, 25, of Saginaw was sentenced last week to 10 years in federal prison for conspiracy to possess with intent to distribute fentanyl, U.S. Attorney Jerome F. Gorgon Jr. announced. Gorgon was joined in the announcement by Andrew Lawton, Acting Special Agent in Charge of the Detroit Field Office of the Drug Enforcement Administration. U.S. District Court Judge Thomas L. Ludington imposed sentence on Chamberlain following his guilty plea for conspiracy to possess with the intent to distribute fentanyl. According to court documents, in December of 2022, the DEA and United States Postal Inspection Service (USPIS) intercepted a package containing ...

Bensalem Woman Charged in Home Care Fraud Kickback Scheme That Caused Loss to Medicaid of Nearly $1.1 Million

posted 9 days ago
Case is Part of Justice Department’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown PHILADELPHIA – United States Attorney David Metcalf announced criminal charges today against a Bucks County woman in connection with the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. Hemal Patel, 59, of Bensalem, Pennsylvania, has been charged by information with wire fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, in connection with a home care fraud scheme, where Patel is alleged to have received kickbacks to refer home care patients to home care agencies. Patel and others devised a scheme to fraudulently bill Medicaid for ...

National Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 324 Defendants Charged in Connection with Over $14.6 Billion in Alleged Fraud

posted 9 days ago
Largest Justice Department Health Care Fraud Takedown in History More than Doubles Prior Record of $6 Billion The Justice Department today announced the results of its 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss. The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents ...

Largest ever nationwide healthcare fraud takedown includes two cases from Western Washington

posted 9 days ago
Criminal case against Anesthesiology Resident for drug diversion and civil case against a provider billing for unapproved treatments Today, Acting United States Attorney Teal Luthy Miller announced criminal charges against a resident at Seattle Children’s Hospital, UW Medical Center, and Harborview, and a civil settlement with a medical practice as part of the Department of Justice’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The criminal charge stems from the criminal complaint filed against an anesthesiology resident who diverted narcotic pain medication for his own use. The civil settlement is with a company that billed federal medical programs for medications ...

CT: Several corrections officers hospitalized after inmate overdose in Suffield

posted 11 days ago
Five corrections officers were taken to the hospital after an inmate overdosed at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution in Suffield. The Connecticut Department of Correction said the officers responded to an inmate's cell who appeared to be having an overdose around 11 a.m. on Friday. Read Full Article #Officer-DrugExposure #Jail/Prison

Novo Nordisk's Counterfeit Fight: A Strategic Pivot in Telehealth and FDA-Driven Pharma

posted 11 days ago
The rise of counterfeit drugs has become a critical issue in the pharmaceutical industry, particularly with the soaring demand for weight-loss therapies like Novo Nordisk's Wegovy. As the company battles to protect its intellectual property and patient safety, its actions in 2025 reveal a broader shift toward risk mitigation in drug distribution and a market consolidation around FDA-approved therapies. For investors, this strategy carries both risks and opportunities, reshaping the landscape for telehealth partnerships and regulatory compliance. Read Full Article #Counterfeit #RiskMitigation #Compliance

Four suspects arrested in $3.6 million Georgia hemp oil theft

posted 12 days ago
Georgia Department of Agriculture officers, in collaboration with Texas law enforcement agencies, have arrested four individuals in connection with a multimillion-dollar interstate hemp oil theft that officials say may be one of the largest on record, according to a news release from the Georgia Department of Agriculture. Read Full Article #Georgia #Hemp #Texas #CBD/Delta-8/Delta-9

Lab Owner, Marketing Company Owner, and Doctor All Sentenced in Multi-Million Dollar Medicare and Medicaid Kickback Conspiracy

posted 12 days ago
Eight Others Were Previously Convicted for Participating in the Same Conspiracy Fadel Alshalabi, 57, of Waxhaw, North Carolina, Samuel Harris, 30, of American Fork, Utah, and Benjamin Toh, M.D., 71, of Chicago, Illinois, have each been sentenced after two separate trials for their roles in a multi-million, multi-state Medicare and Medicaid conspiracy to pay and receive illegal kickbacks, announced Robert E. McGuire, Acting United States Attorney for the Middle District of Tennessee. Alshalabi was sentenced to five years in prison for conspiracy to violate the Anti-Kickback Statute, violations of the Anti-Kickback Statute, and money laundering. He was the ...

Murder charges filed in deaths of 3 Kansas City Chiefs fans

posted 12 days ago
Prosecutors have upgraded charges to felony murder against two men accused in the deaths of three Kansas City Chiefs fans found dead outside a Missouri home last year, a new court filling shows Initially in March, the Platte County District Attorney filed charges including distribution of a controlled substance and three counts of manslaughter against Jordan Willis, 39, and Ivory Carson, 42, in connection to the apparent overdose deaths of Ricky Johnson, 38, David Harrington, 37, and Clayton McGeeney, 36. Read Full Article #Missouri #Homicide #FelonyArrest #Overdoses

Marietta Man Arrested for Trafficking Ten Kilograms of Fentanyl from Mexico

posted 12 days ago
Rodrigo Morales-Figueroa, 29, of Marietta, Ga., appeared in federal court on June 23, 2025, following his arrest on federal charges of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl. “Foreign cartels profit from the addiction and deaths of Americans, pushing fentanyl and other dangerous drugs in our community,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg. “Our federal law enforcement partners saved countless lives by working quickly in this investigation, which disrupted a major drug trafficking pipeline from Mexico.” Full Press Release #Georgia #Fentanyl #CartelRelated #DrugTraffickingOrganization(DTO)

MS: Kratom age restriction law taking effect July 1, bans sales to those under 21

posted 12 days ago
Kratom comes in many forms: powder, leaves, capsules, and extract. The Food and Drug Administration approves none of those products. In a 2021 study, the FDA estimated that 1.7 million people over the age of 12 used kratom. When Mississippi’s Kratom age restriction begins Tuesday, July 1, not much will change at Bay Tobacco and Beer. Supervisor Brandy Triguero says her business already has a policy not to sell to anyone under 21. Read Full Article #Mississippi #Kratom #NewLegislation

Alabama law enforcement raids CBD shops for illegal THC levels across multiple cities

posted 12 days ago
On Monday, June 23, Alabama Law Enforcement Agency’s (ALEA) State Bureau of Investigation (SBI), along with the Alabama Attorney General’s Office, district attorneys, and local police, executed search warrants at multiple CBD specialty stores and vape shops in Troy, Enterprise, Clanton, Wetumpka, and Montgomery. The raids targeted businesses suspected of selling products containing illegal levels of THC, exceeding the 0.3% Delta-9 THC limit established by Alabama law and the 2018 federal Farm Bill. Read Full Article #CBD/Delta-8/Delta-9 #Alabama

MI: Royal Oak doctor accused of trading free medical care for sex

posted 12 days ago
A Royal Oak neurologist is accused of trading medical care for sex with women trapped in a sex trafficking ring and threatening a trafficked woman’s health care when he was unhappy with her, according to the Oakland County Sheriff’s Office. Dr. Gireesh Velugubanti, 47, was arrested Thursday at his home in Royal Oak by members of the Oakland County Human Trafficking Task Force. The sheriff says he was a customer of the Sonesta Suites trafficking ring. Read Full Article #Michigan #ProviderArrest(s) #SexforDrugs #HumanTrafficking #FelonyArrest

AZ: Phoenix pastor among 22 charged in alleged $60M Medicaid scam, involving clients who were in jail or even dead

posted 12 days ago
Medicaid fraud harms far more than just the patients bilked out of that taxpayer-funded aid. Just ask Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes, whose office has been conducting an investigation into a sober-living homes scandal that could reportedly cost the state billions of dollars. “This [sober-living homes scandal] is something that was allowed to fester for way too long, and far too many people were hurt by it," Mayes shared with Fox 10 Phoenix. Each stolen dollar creates shortfalls in an already strained Medicaid system, adding to existing pressures from rising health care costs and growing demand. Read Full Article #Arizona #SoberHomes ...

Physician Sentenced to 18 Years in Prison for Operating a Pill Mill from His Northwest D.C. Medical Practice

posted 13 days ago
Ndubuisi Joseph Okafor, M.D., 65, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, was sentenced today in U.S. District Court to 18 years in prison for illegally distributing prescriptions for narcotics in exchange for cash from his Northwest Washington D.C. medical clinic. The sentencing was announced by U.S. Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro. A jury found Okafor guilty on Mar. 21, 2025, of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances (outside the course of professional practice), maintaining a drug-involved premises, and 22 counts of unlawful distribution of controlled substances (oxycodone and promethazine with codeine). In addition to the 18-year prison ...