COLUMBUS, Ohio — The Department of Justice on Thursday announced the launch of a statewide fraud enforcement initiative and unsealed indictments against 14 individuals allegedly tied to fraud schemes totaling more than $50 million.
Federal officials, including Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche and FBI Director Kash Patel, unveiled the initiative at the Defense Supply Center Columbus. Those indicted allegedly participated in behavioral health fraud, government program fraud and consumer fraud, among other schemes.
One case involves two state employees and two co-conspirators who allegedly billed the government $30 million for therapeutic services that were never rendered, according to Blanche.
“Ohio is facing some of the most significant fraud schemes in the country,” Blanche said. “To meet this crisis, our response has been and will continue to be aggressive, comprehensive, and we will not stop until we fix this problem.”
Blanche also described the initiative as a “unified, statewide fraud-fighting effort that’s firing on all cylinders.”
Federal and state authorities additionally launched a roundtable aimed at improving fraud detection and prosecution, anchored by a data-sharing agreement that will grant access to the state’s corporate registrant data.
The FBI also unveiled a new FBI Most Wanted Fraudsters list to publicize fugitive fraudsters. Patel said the list represents “some of the alleged worst of the worst who stole millions in taxpayer money.”
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost also weighed in on the announcement, urging Ohioans to report suspected fraud.
“You see something, say something,” he said. “This is your money that’s being stolen.”
“I have never had the level of interest and support from the federal government under any administration that you’re witnessing here today,” he added.
Small Business Administrator Kelly Loeffler, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Andrew Ferguson and U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services Administrator Mehmet Oz also addressed the press conference.
“By bringing together federal and state law enforcement, advanced data analytics, and unprecedented information sharing, we are building a national fraud-fighting model that identifies bad actors faster, protects taxpayer dollars and safeguards the integrity of programs millions of Americans rely upon,” Oz said.
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