Nurse allegedly defrauded $906 million
,regionOfInterest=(320,180)&hash=edaad578a93444e075f6a186d203e36888ec4cb1db4761abe1d9f891be6cc41a)
A nurse from Las Vegas is accused of orchestrating a massive healthcare fraud scheme worth $906 million, allegedly using government medical funds to finance a lavish lifestyle that included a Ferrari and luxury jewelry.
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, the 49-year-old nurse submitted fraudulent claims to Medicare and TRICARE for medically unnecessary treatments. Investigators say around $297 million of those claims was actually paid out.
Prosecutors allege the fraud targeted seriously ill elderly patients in hospice care. The nurse is accused of billing for expensive wound grafts made from amniotic membrane tissue (human donor tissue), even when patients did not need them. In some cases, the grafts were allegedly applied to wounds that had already healed or to wounds that showed no response to treatment.
Investigators also claim she manipulated patient medical records to make the treatments appear medically necessary, allowing claims to pass through Medicare and TRICARE approval systems. Authorities believe false documentation played a central role in the alleged scam.
As part of the investigation, officials seized assets worth approximately $35.2 million. Confiscated items included $467,000 in cash, a Ferrari 296 GTS worth around $594,000, and a luxury Bulgari necklace valued at approximately $865,000.
The case is part of the National Health Care Fraud Takedown, the largest healthcare fraud crackdown in U.S. history. Federal authorities charged 455 individuals in the operation, alleging fraudulent claims totaling more than $6.5 billion against public and private insurers.
Officials say the crackdown also uncovered other major fraud schemes, including a Texas cardiologist accused of falsely billing $89 million for medical screenings involving students. The criminal proceedings remain ongoing, and all defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.