President Trump and Vice President Vance promised to go after the fraudsters bleeding Medicare dry. This week, they delivered. Again.
The Justice Department announced Tuesday that Khalid Satary, 54, was nabbed Monday by regional partners in the Middle East, caught with a fake Mexican passport under a phony name. He was transferred to U.S. custody, flown into Washington Dulles International Airport, and stood before a federal judge Tuesday in the Eastern District of Virginia.
Think about who Satary's alleged victims were: elderly Americans on Medicare, people who trusted the system, trusted their doctors, and had no idea they were being used as pawns in a massive fraud scheme. Prosecutors allege Satary ran a network of diagnostic labs from 2016 to 2019 that ordered up cancer genetic tests those patients didn't need and would never benefit from. The tests existed for one reason: to generate a bill.
The operation was a well-oiled fraud machine: patient recruiters, telemarketing boiler rooms, and telemedicine fronts all funneling in unwitting seniors. Millions in kickbacks and bribes kept the referrals flowing. Each fraudulent test sample brought in between $10,000 and $20,000 in Medicare reimbursements.
By the time it was over, Satary's labs had allegedly billed Medicare more than $547 million. That's your tax dollars. That's money that was supposed to go toward caring for America's seniors.
Acting DOJ Attorney General Todd Blanche put it plainly:
"This defendant allegedly orchestrated a massive fraud scheme that preyed on thousands of elderly patients, deceiving them into undergoing expensive, medically unnecessary tests and fraudulently billing the government for more than half a billion dollars. Thanks to the outstanding work of our partners at the FBI, this defendant was brought back from overseas to face justice in the United States."
After the indictment, the government seized 16 bank accounts and restrained real estate tied to Satary.
Then came the audacity: he was released on bond, over the government's objection, and ordered to stay out of healthcare. Prosecutors say he immediately ignored that condition and kept right on defrauding Medicare through Houston-based labs.
When he didn't show up for a court hearing in late 2022, a federal arrest warrant was issued. Authorities believe he skipped the country shortly after.
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The FBI added Satary to its new Most Wanted Fraudsters list on June 23, offering a reward of up to $150,000. Authorities flagged ties to Delray Beach, Houston, Atlanta, Dubai, Jordan, and the Israel and Palestinian territories. Less than a month later, he was in handcuffs.
As RedState covered in June, the Most Wanted Fraudsters list is a centerpiece of the Trump administration's aggressive campaign to root out fraud in federal benefit programs, and it's clearly working.
FBI Director Kash Patel noted that Satary's capture marks the third Most Wanted Fraudster taken off the board in just five weeks, a remarkable pace that signals the administration means business.
"Satary has been on the run since 2022, but we got him thanks to great work and coordination from the interagency and our overseas partners. This is just the latest example showing President Trump’s and Vice President Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud will not be deterred in our mission to track down each and every fraudster who allegedly steals from American taxpayers."
Satary is charged with healthcare fraud, wire fraud, money laundering, and conspiring to defraud the United States through illegal kickbacks and bribes. The most serious charges carry maximum sentences of 20 years in prison.
The Justice Department's Health Care Fraud Strike Force has charged more than 6,200 defendants since 2007, representing over $45 billion in fraudulent billings. For years, that effort moved slowly. Under this administration, it's moving at a sprint.
After more than three years playing hide-and-seek with U.S. law enforcement, on multiple continents and with a fake passport, Satary is now back before a federal judge. The Most Wanted Fraudsters list is 0-for-0 on letting fugitives stay hidden.
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