DOJ charges nearly 200 in nationwide healthcare fraud crackdown

June 28 (UPI) -- The Justice Department has announced charges against 193 people in a nationwide crackdown on healthcare fraud schemes valued at more than $2.75 billion.

The results of the two-week law enforcement action were announced during a press conference Thursday by Attorney General Merrick Garland , who said 76 doctors, nurse practitioners and other licensed medical professionals were among those accused of trying to defraud taxpayer-funded programs.

More than $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold and other assets were confiscated in the crackdown, the Justice Department said in a statement , adding the schemes resulted in $1.6 billion in losses.

"The Justice Department has been clear that we will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans and steal from taxpayer-funded programs," Garland said.

The schemes include a $90 million wire fraud conspiracy to distribute adulterated and misbranded HIV drugs to pharmacies and patients nationwide.

Three owners of a Florida wholesale company have been charged with purchasing the drugs for cheap on the blackmarket then reselling them to pharmacies with falsified documentation.

Garland said patients received bottles believing inside was their medication, with one patient passing out and remaining unconscious for 24 hours after ingesting what they thought was prescribed HIV medication but was an anti-psychotic.

Another scheme in Arizona targeted terminally ill elderly Medicare patients. Four people have been charged with filing $900 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for amniotic wound grafts that were then used on wounds of their ill patients that did not require this treatment and in sizes far larger than what would have been needed.

Five people connected with Done Global, including its CEO, were also charged for distributing millions of Adderall pills over the Internet, sometimes without interacting with the patient due to the company's auto-refill policy that allowed people to obtain a continued prescription after an initial meeting.

Thirty-six people were also charged with submitting more than $1.1 billion in fraudulent telemedicine schemes. Another 126 people were charged for various schemes that amount to more than $450 false claims to Medicare.

"It does not matter if you are a trafficker in a drug cartel or a corporate executive or medical professional employed by a health care company, if you profit from the unlawful distribution of controlled substances, you will be held accountable," Garland said in a statment.

"The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits."