48 Texans charged in nationwide $14.6 billion healthcare fraud takedown

TEXAS - 48 people from Texas are among 324 defendants nationwide facing criminal charges in the Justice Department’s 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, authorities announced on Monday. 

More than $14.6 Billion in alleged fraud

Big picture view:

These alleged schemes collectively involve more than $14.6 billion in intended losses to federal health care programs. The widespread enforcement effort underscores a commitment to combat health care fraud that exploits patients and taxpayers.

The Texas-based charges highlight a range of alleged fraudulent activities, from elaborate COVID-19 testing scams and prescription opioid trafficking to schemes involving durable medical equipment and genetic testing. 

Federal and state law enforcement agencies seized more than $245 million in illicit gains, including cash, luxury vehicles, and cryptocurrency, as part of the coordinated operation. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) also announced it had prevented more than $4 billion in false claims from being paid and revoked the billing privileges of 205 providers.

What they're saying:

"This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers," said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. "Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities."

"As part of making healthcare accessible and affordable to all Americans, HHS will aggressively work with our law enforcement partners to eliminate the pervasive health care fraud that bedeviled this agency under the former administration and drove up costs," said Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. of the Department of Health and Human Services.

"The Criminal Division is intensely committed to rooting out health care fraud schemes and prosecuting the criminals who perpetrate them because these schemes: (1) often result in physical patient harm through medically unnecessary treatments or failure to provide the correct treatments; (2) contribute to our nationwide opioid epidemic and exacerbate controlled substance addiction; and (3) do all of that while stealing money hardworking Americans contribute to pay for the care of their elders and other vulnerable citizens," said Matthew R. Galeotti, Head of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. "The Division’s Health Care Fraud Unit and U.S. Attorneys’ Offices stand united with our law enforcement partners in this fight, and we will continue to use every tool at our disposal to protect the integrity of our health care programs for the American people."

"The scale of today’s Takedown is unprecedented, and so is the harm we’re confronting. Individuals who attempt to steal from the federal health care system and put vulnerable patients at risk will be held accountable," said Acting Inspector General Juliet T. Hodgkins of HHS-OIG. "Our agents at HHS-OIG work relentlessly to detect, investigate, and dismantle these fraud schemes. We are proud to stand with our law enforcement partners in protecting taxpayer dollars and safeguarding patient care."

"Health care fraud drains critical resources from programs intended to help people who truly need medical care," said FBI Director Kash Patel. "Today’s announcement demonstrates our commitment to pursuing those who exploit the system for personal gain. With more than $13 billion in fraud uncovered, this is the largest takedown for this initiative to date. Together, the FBI and our law enforcement partners will continue to hold those accountable who steal from the American people and undermine our health care systems."

Texans Charged

Here’s a breakdown of the Texans charged, their alleged offenses, and where they were charged:

Northern District of Texas

• Demitrious Gilmore, 46, of Lubbock: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Allegedly submitted more than $19 million in false claims to the Department of Labor Office of Workers Compensation Program (DOL-OWCP) for medically unnecessary services, including multiple custom knee braces for a single claimant and physical therapy while the claimant was undergoing surgery. Over $1 million was seized from his bank accounts.
• Gary Martin, 62, of McKinney: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to solicit or receive kickbacks for referrals to a federal health care program and solicitation and receipt of kickbacks. Allegedly conspired to pay and receive kickbacks based on Medicare reimbursements for over-the-counter COVID-19 tests that beneficiaries, including deceased individuals, had not requested.
• Khadeer Khan Mohammed, 44, a citizen of India living in Richardson: Charged by indictment with health care fraud. Allegedly owned American Premier Labs LLC and caused the submission of approximately $93 million in false claims to Medicare for genetic testing never requested, ordered, or performed, using stolen physician identities. Nearly $6 million was seized from his bank accounts.
• Olatunbosun Osukoya, 67, of Plano: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to commit health care fraud. Allegedly owned Ayo Biometrics, LLC d/b/a Cambridge Diagnostics, and submitted over $25 million in false claims to Medicare, TRICARE, and other insurers for electroencephalogram (EEG) testing, recruiting providers with kickbacks and falsifying diagnoses.

Southern District of Texas

• Rami Abunakira, 39, of Richmond: Charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks and payment of health care kickbacks. Allegedly helped operate laboratories that billed Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic tests induced by illegal kickbacks, concealing ownership and kickback arrangements.6
• Sacha Lashun Betts, 47, of Houston: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly controlled a drug trafficking organization that used "front" pharmacies to sell over 4.4 million doses of opioids and other controlled substances to street-level dealers.
• Nicholas Aguillard, 49, of Rosenberg: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly conspired with Betts to unlawfully operate a Houston-area pharmacy.
• Lisa Darlene Durden, 60, of Missouri City: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly served as a pharmacist in an illicit drug distribution enterprise.
• Jordan O. Williams, 56, of Missouri City: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly acted as a financier and drug runner in the drug trafficking organization.
• Quincy Guillory, 51, of Richmond: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly participated as a drug trafficker in the organization.
• Mykel Walker, 42, of Cypress: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly conspired with Betts to operate a Houston-area pharmacy for illicit drug sales.
• Kaeita Rankin, 48: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly identified and set up pharmacies for the drug trafficking enterprise.
• Jason Bruce, 56, of League City: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly owned and operated Ennis St. Pharmacy, distributing hydrocodone and carisoprodol to street-level dealers.
• Gerren Brignac, 36, of Rosharon: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly served as pharmacist-in-charge at Ennis St. Pharmacy, facilitating unlawful drug sales.
• Ronald Martin, 45, of Sugarland: Charged by information with conspiracy to distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly owned Ennis St. Pharmacy, involved in the unlawful distribution of hydrocodone and carisoprodol.
• Trevor L. Cherry, 51, of Houston: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, illegal distribution of a controlled substance, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Allegedly used pharmacies as fronts to sell approximately half a million opioids to drug dealers.
• Douglas M. Parks III, 35, of Katy: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute controlled substances, illegal distribution of a controlled substance, and conspiracy to commit money laundering. Allegedly assisted Cherry in diverting drugs and laundered proceeds.
• Alvin Elliott, 56, of Katy: Charged by indictment with four counts of unlawfully distributing controlled substances. Allegedly owned and operated Houston-area pharmacies, illegally selling oxycodone, hydrocodone, and carisoprodol.
• Chad Harper, 49, of Pearland: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks, paying health care kickbacks, bank fraud conspiracy, bank fraud, money laundering conspiracy, and engaging in monetary transactions in property derived from a specified unlawful activity. Allegedly owned multiple laboratories that billed Medicare $115 million for genetic and other diagnostic testing induced by kickbacks.
• David Jenson, 57, of Spring: Charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy, health care fraud, and money laundering. Allegedly fraudulently billed Medicare $90 million for highly expensive skin substitutes for patients without qualifying wounds.
• Nestor Rafael Romero Magallanes, 29, of Spring: Charged by superseding indictment with conspiracy, health care fraud, and money laundering. Allegedly served as CEO of a clinic involved in the fraudulent Medicare billing scheme for skin substitutes.
• Daphne Johnson, 60, of Stafford: Charged by information with healthcare fraud. Allegedly billed Medicaid $793,804 for mental health therapy services she never provided.
• Tyneza P. Mitchell, 43, of Spring: Charged by indictment with wire fraud. Allegedly billed the COVID-19 Claims Reimbursement program for in-office consultations she never provided, receiving over $2.1 million.
• Carlos Munoz, 57, of Richmond: Charged by information in connection with a bribery scheme. Allegedly received kickbacks to certify patients for medically unnecessary hospice services, contributing to over $59 million in fraudulent claims.
• Dera Ogudo, 39, of Richmond: Charged by indictment with a $110 million health care fraud and kickbacks scheme. Allegedly operated a hospice company that misled elderly adults into medically unnecessary hospice enrollment through kickbacks.
• Victoria Martinez, 35, of Richmond: Charged by indictment with a $110 million health care fraud and kickbacks scheme. Allegedly operated a hospice company with Ogudo, misleading patients and attempting to conceal fraud.
• Evelyn Shaw, 52, of Houston: Charged by indictment with a $110 million health care fraud and kickbacks scheme. Allegedly received kickbacks for referrals from a psychiatric hospital to a fraudulent hospice company.
• Augustine "Austin" Onyeka, 53, of Richmond: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly diverted approximately 216,500 oxycodone and hydrocodone pills onto the black market through a pharmacy.
• Okwudili "Okwy" Okpara, 60, of Sugarland: Charged by information with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly, as pharmacist-in-charge, facilitated the sale of large quantities of controlled substances to drug traffickers.
• Keilan Peterson a/k/a "Young Jay" a/k/a "Jay," 38, of Houston: Charged by indictment for alleged unlawful distribution and dispensation of controlled substances. Allegedly paid doctors to issue illegitimate prescriptions for hydrocodone, carisoprodol, and oxycodone, diverting over 2 million pills to the black market.
• Kimberly Martinez, 47, of Houston: Charged by indictment for alleged unlawful distribution and dispensation of controlled substances. Allegedly participated with Peterson in issuing illegitimate prescriptions for controlled substances.
• Dr. Maryam "Meg" Qayum, 67, of New Caney: Charged by indictment with multiple counts of illegally distributing a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Allegedly operated a "pill mill" clinic, selling over 3 million opioid prescriptions for cash.
• Jared Williams, 48, of Pearland: Charged by indictment with illegally distributing a controlled substance. Allegedly owned and was pharmacist-in-charge at a pharmacy that filled Dr. Qayum's illegitimate prescriptions.
• Tomi-Ko Bowers, 70, of Houston: Charged by indictment with illegally distributing a controlled substance, conspiracy to distribute controlled substances, and engaging in monetary transactions for the proceeds of specified unlawful activities. Allegedly operated a "pill mill" clinic with Dr. Qayum.
• Lester "Lay" Stokes, 37, of Houston: Charged by indictment with illegally distributing a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Allegedly operated a "pill mill" clinic.
• Melvin Sampson, 55, of Houston: Charged by indictment with illegally distributing a controlled substance and conspiracy to distribute controlled substances. Allegedly recruited individuals for illegitimate prescriptions and resold drugs on the black market.
• Richard Rose, Jr., 51, of Manvel: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and money laundering conspiracy. Allegedly owned pharmacies that were fronts for illegal drug distribution, purchasing hundreds of thousands of opioid pills.
• Avayetta Montegue, 62, of Richmond: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and two counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing a controlled substance. Allegedly, as pharmacist-in-charge, filled illegitimate prescriptions.
• Porshette Boykin, 36, of Houston: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and money laundering conspiracy. Allegedly ordered controlled substances and coordinated pickups for drug traffickers.
• Tyisha Robinson, 33, of Houston: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and money laundering conspiracy. Allegedly ordered controlled substances and coordinated pickups for drug traffickers.
• Byron Clark, 40, of Houston: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances and two counts of unlawfully distributing and dispensing a controlled substance. Allegedly recruited individuals for illegitimate prescriptions and resold drugs.
• Andre Williams, 53, of Pearland: Charged by indictment with conspiracy to unlawfully distribute and dispense controlled substances. Allegedly ran a Houston-area "pill-mill" pharmacy as a front for purchasing and selling opioids to drug traffickers for cash.
• Brandy Williams, 42, of Houston: Charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive kickbacks. Allegedly paid illegal kickbacks for prescriptions for medically unnecessary footbath drugs, leading to over $4 million in Medicare payments.

Western District of Texas

• Hector Almanza, 41, of San Antonio: Charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks. Allegedly paid marketers for illegal referrals to his hospice company, resulting in over $1.6 million in false claims for unnecessary hospice services.
• Diana Almanza, 39, of San Antonio: Charged by information with conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay and receive health care kickbacks. Allegedly paid marketers for illegal referrals to their hospice company for unnecessary hospice services.

Southern District of Florida (Texas resident charged there)

• Susan Braddock, 63, of Fort Worth: Charged by information with conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud. Allegedly owned a telemedicine company that billed Medicare for medically unnecessary telemedicine consultations and sold doctors' orders for genetic tests, leading to over $24 million in false claims.

Northern District of Illinois (Texas residents charged there)

• Mahmood Sami Khan, 36, of Houston: Indicted for his role in an $894 million fraudulent COVID-19 testing scheme. Charged with wire fraud and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
• Suhaib Ahmad Chaudhry, 34, of Houston: Indicted for his role in an $894 million fraudulent COVID-19 testing scheme. Charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering.

Dig deeper:

The Justice Department stated that this coordinated action is a continuation of its systematic approach to stopping drug trafficking organizations and those who exploit the healthcare system. 

Officials reiterated that health care fraud not only steals from taxpayers but can also result in physical patient harm and exacerbate the nationwide opioid epidemic.

To see all 324 people charged, click here.

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