Department of Justice Archives - HIT Leaders and News

HHS Adds Former U.S. Attorney for Fraud Efforts

Jason Free — Mon, 26 Jan 2026 12:35:15 +0000

The appointment of former U.S. Attorney Scott Brady to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of General Counsel signals a sharp escalation in the agency’s fraud enforcement strategy. Joining General Counsel Mike Stuart, himself a former federal prosecutor, Brady enters HHS amid what leadership calls the most aggressive anti-fraud campaign in the agency’s history. The move reflects a strategic posture shift: from administrative oversight to criminal accountability.

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Fraud in the Nursing Pipeline Demands a Systemic Compliance Reckoning

Jason Free — Mon, 22 Sep 2025 12:10:23 +0000

The second wave of charges in Operation Nightingale has put the spotlight back on one of the healthcare sector’s most foundational risks: credentialing fraud. With 12 new defendants now facing federal prosecution for selling fraudulent nursing diplomas and transcripts, the U.S. Department of Justice has escalated its response to what may be one of the largest illicit licensing schemes in modern healthcare history.

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More than 300 Charged in $14.6B Healthcare Fraud Schemes Takedown, Justice Department Says

Jason Free — Tue, 01 Jul 2025 15:20:03 +0000

The Department of Justice has charged 324 defendants in connection with $14.6 billion in alleged false health care claims, a development that signals a structural escalation in both criminal sophistication and federal enforcement posture. What was once confined to regional overbilling and isolated kickback schemes has matured into a global infrastructure of medical exploitation. A single $10 billion case involving urinary catheter claims revealed that transnational actors had acquired U.S. medical supply companies through foreign-controlled straw owners, using stolen identities and patient data to defraud Medicare at scale. The operation, which compromised the personal information of over one million Americans, led to arrests in Estonia and interdictions at domestic airports and border points. According to federal prosecutors, criminal networks based in Russia, Eastern Europe, and Pakistan were centrally involved, illustrating the extent to which American health systems have become strategic targets for international fraud syndicates operating with encryption, cryptocurrency laundering, and corporate obfuscation.

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Private Equity in Healthcare: Mounting Oversight Amid Rising Concerns

Jason Free — Wed, 16 Apr 2025 13:31:29 +0000

A string of bankruptcies, quality-of-care scandals, and regulatory probes has intensified scrutiny of private equity’s growing role in U.S. healthcare. New reports from federal agencies, independent watchdogs, and Congressional committees are painting a stark picture of how PE investment strategies—once touted as a pathway to innovation and efficiency—may be destabilizing entire sectors of care delivery.

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Alcohol Addiction Treatment Firm will be Banned from Disclosing Health Data for Advertising to Settle FTC Charges that It Shared Data Without Consent

Jason Free — Mon, 15 Apr 2024 12:57:13 +0000

The Federal Trade Commission has taken action against an alcohol addiction treatment service for allegedly disclosing users’ personal health data to third-party advertising platforms, including Meta and Google, for advertising without consumer consent, after promising to keep such information confidential.

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Medical Doctor and Treatment Facility Ordered to Pay Civil Penalties for Alleged Violations of the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act and Federal Trade Commission Act

Jason Free — Fri, 24 Mar 2023 13:36:24 +0000

The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced that the government will collect $100,000 in civil penalties from Defendants Dalal Akoury MD, PLLC, AWAREmed Wholistic Urgent Care, PLLC, and medical provider Dalal Akoury as part of a settlement to resolve alleged violations of the Opioid Addiction Recovery Fraud Prevention Act of 2018 and the FTC Act in connection with the advertising of treatment services of AWAREmed Health and Wellness Resource Center (AWAREmed).

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Digital Healthcare Platform Ordered to Pay Civil Penalties and Take Corrective Action for Unauthorized Disclosure of Personal Health Information

Jason Free — Thu, 23 Feb 2023 17:14:32 +0000

The Department of Justice, together with the Federal Trade Commission (FTC), announced today that the government has resolved allegations that GoodRx Holdings Inc., doing business as GoodRx Gold, GoodRx Care, and Hey Doctor (GoodRx), violated the FTC Act and the FTC’s Health Breach Notification Rule. Pursuant to a settlement by the parties, a consent order was entered last Friday by the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California.

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Justice and Commerce Departments Announce Creation of Disruptive Technology Strike Force

Jason Free — Mon, 20 Feb 2023 06:12:56 +0000

The Department of Justice and the Department of Commerce are launching the Disruptive Technology Strike Force.

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Justice Department Secures Settlement with Nevada Medical Practice to Resolve National Origin Discrimination Claim

Jason Free — Wed, 28 Dec 2022 14:52:43 +0000

The Justice Department announced it has secured a settlement agreement with Walter J. Willoughby Jr., M.D., Ltd. (Willoughby Ltd.), a medical practice located in Las Vegas, Nevada. The settlement resolves the department’s determination that Willoughby Ltd. violated the Immigration and Nationality Act (INA) by terminating a longstanding employee based on her Mexican-American national origin.

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Doctor Pleads Guilty to Using Misbranded and Adulterated Products Sold as Botox and Juvederm

Jason Free — Tue, 29 Nov 2022 22:07:12 +0000

Dr. Lindsay Clark, 45, pleaded guilty to one misdemeanor count of violating the Federal Food, Drug, and Cosmetic Act (FDCA) by receiving and delivering misbranded drugs and misbranded and adulterated devices. Her medical practice, Lindsay Clark, M.D., Medical Corporation, also pleaded guilty to one felony count of receiving and delivering misbranded drugs and misbranded and adulterated devices.

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