Federal Crackdown Leads to Charges in $6.5B Healthcare Fraud Scheme
WHO:
CNN - Kaiden Francis, an 18-year-old college basketball player, died weeks after a cardiovascular test was rubber-stamped as normal without alerting his family about his enlarged heart.
ABC News - Dr. Mehmet Oz stated, “The doctor's alleged conduct, which ignored a textbook diagnosis of preventable cardiac death, is heinous.”
CNN - 455 people were charged, including 90 doctors and other healthcare professionals.
IJR - Jason Finkelstein, 53, a Texas doctor, was charged.
ABC News - Dr. Mehmet Oz, head of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services, commented on the case.
WHAT:
CNN - A record 45 states and territories participated in this year’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
ABC News - The indictment states that Finkelstein's alleged fraud scheme involved a pair of unidentified co-conspirators at his Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice.
ABC News - The indictment quotes Finkelstein as saying, “(t)hese kids could be high risk ...(o)ne of them drops dead on a field, they’re coming after both of us.”
ABC News - Finkelstein's company relied on sonographers who lacked the requisite credentials to travel to college campuses to perform the tests.
ABC News - In one instance in 2024, Finkelstein signed off after roughly 11 seconds on approximately 63 test result images of one patient, which revealed multiple cardiac abnormalities.
CNN - The Justice Department's takedown included charges against 455 defendants, marking the largest number of people charged in the department's history.
CNN - The takedown involved more than $518 million in false claims submitted to Medicaid, the largest amount lost to fraud in the Justice Department's history.
CNN - The cases included fraudulent wound care claims, which resulted in $2 billion in Medicare payments to one Arizona company and another $906 million scheme in Texas.
CNN - Last year, the Justice Department charged 324 defendants with more than $14.6 billion in alleged fraud during its annual takedown effort.
CNN - Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche stated, “This is just the beginning. Fraudsters can no longer rip off American taxpayers.”
CNN - The Justice Department's takedown included charges against 295 defendants, marking the largest number of people charged in the department's history.
ABC News - The indictment quotes Finkelstein as saying, “(t)hese kids could be high risk ...(o)ne of them drops dead on a field, they’re coming after both of us.”
ABC News - Finkelstein's company relied on sonographers who lacked the requisite credentials to perform tests on college campuses.
CNN - The Justice Department unveiled charges against 455 people for alleged participation in healthcare fraud and opioid abuse schemes.
CNN - The fraud involved $6.5 billion worth of false claims.
ABC News - Finkelstein was charged with healthcare fraud and conspiracy in an $89 million healthcare fraud scheme.
ABC News - Finkelstein billed insurers for medically unnecessary cardiovascular screening tests for college student-athletes.
ABC News - The indictment states that Finkelstein rubber-stamped results as normal without reviewing them.
WHERE:
CNN - The fraud involved activities in 45 states and territories.
ABC News - Finkelstein operated a Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice.
WHEN:
ABC News - The alleged fraud by Finkelstein ran between 2019 and the end of the previous year.
ABC News - In one instance, Finkelstein signed off on test results in 2024.
WHY:
CNN - The crackdown aimed to stop fraud that "steals from taxpayers, exploits vulnerable patients and puts lives at risk," according to Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
ABC News - Finkelstein's scheme preyed on the fears of athletes regarding sudden cardiac arrest.
HOW:
ABC News - Finkelstein's company submitted phony diagnoses of conditions such as elevated blood pressure and hypertension to secure reimbursement for unnecessary tests.
ABC News - Finkelstein's co-conspirators blasted out emails to athletic trainers at colleges and universities stating that the tests being offered could identify any life-threatening condition that could prevent the students from playing, and also offered kickbacks and other inducements to school officials to refer potential patients.
ABC News - Finkelstein's company relied on sonographers who lacked the requisite credentials to travel to college campuses to perform the tests.
ABC News - Finkelstein submitted phony diagnoses to insurers, such as elevated blood pressure and hypertension, to secure reimbursement for unnecessary tests.
CNN - The Justice Department's takedown included charges against 295 defendants and more than $518 million in false claims submitted to Medicaid.
ABC News - Finkelstein used deceptive marketing tactics to offer free heart screens and submitted phony diagnoses to insurers to secure reimbursement.
ABC News - Finkelstein certified cardiac test results as normal without reviewing them, sometimes in as little as 11 seconds for multiple test result images.
(UPDATED June 24, 2026 21:23 UTC)
A record 45 states and territories took part in this year's National Health Care Fraud Takedown, highlighting the widespread effort to combat healthcare fraud. An indictment has revealed that a Florida-based cardiovascular testing and treatment practice, run by Finkelstein and his unidentified co-conspirators, allegedly involved serious misconduct, including the use of unqualified sonographers to perform tests on college campuses. In a concerning example from 2024, Finkelstein reportedly signed off on around 63 test result images in just 11 seconds, which showed multiple cardiac abnormalities in one patient.
--
(UPDATED June 24, 2026 15:49 UTC)
In a tragic incident, 18-year-old college basketball player Kaiden Francis passed away after a cardiovascular test was deemed normal, despite his family being unaware of his enlarged heart, prompting Dr. Mehmet Oz to call the doctor's conduct "heinous." In a historic move, the Justice Department has charged 455 defendants in what is now the largest fraud case in its history, involving over $518 million in false claims submitted to Medicaid. The fraudulent activity included submitting fake diagnoses for conditions like elevated blood pressure to obtain reimbursements for unnecessary medical tests.
--
(UPDATED June 24, 2026 08:08 UTC)
The Justice Department has charged 324 defendants with more than $14.6 billion in alleged fraud, including cases involving fraudulent wound care claims that led to $2 billion in Medicare payments to one Arizona company and another $906 million scheme in Texas. In a related scheme, Finkelstein and his co-conspirators sent emails to athletic trainers at colleges, claiming their tests could identify life-threatening conditions, while also offering kickbacks to school officials for patient referrals. Finkelstein's company employed sonographers without the necessary credentials to conduct these tests on college campuses.
--
(UPDATED June 23, 2026 23:23 UTC)
In a significant development, the Justice Department has announced charges against 295 defendants, marking the largest number of individuals charged in its history, with Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche declaring, “This is just the beginning. Fraudsters can no longer rip off American taxpayers.” Among those charged is Finkelstein, whose company allegedly relied on unqualified sonographers to conduct tests on college campuses and submitted false diagnoses to insurers to obtain reimbursement for unnecessary procedures. Finkelstein's actions have raised serious concerns about the safety of students, as he reportedly warned that “these kids could be high risk ... one of them drops dead on a field, they’re coming after both of us.”
--
(UPDATED June 23, 2026 21:32 UTC)
The Justice Department has charged 455 individuals, including 90 doctors and healthcare professionals, for their alleged involvement in a massive healthcare fraud and opioid abuse scheme that involved $6.5 billion in false claims across 45 states and territories. Among those charged is Jason Finkelstein, a Texas doctor who operated a Florida-based cardiovascular practice and is accused of billing insurers for unnecessary cardiovascular screening tests for college student-athletes, while rubber-stamping results as normal without proper review. Health Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. emphasized that this crackdown aims to stop fraud that exploits vulnerable patients and puts lives at risk.