Dozens in 16 states charged with health care fraud schemes, including $1.9B in bogus claims

By LINDSAY WHITEHURST and TOM MURPHY
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — The Justice Department has charged dozens of people in several health care fraud and prescription drug schemes. They include one totaling $1.9 billion and a doctor accused of ordering fake ankle braces for a patient whose leg had been amputated. The scheme that submitted nearly $2 billion in bogus claims is one of the largest health care fraud cases ever brought by the Justice Department. The department has been cracking down on health care fraud and prescription drug abuse schemes in states around the country. In total, 78 people were charged in 16 states in the cases announced Wednesday.