The move came with charges against 19 defendants over more than $4 million in alleged Medicare and Medicaid fraud, alongside a plea deal tied to a previously charged $1.7 million case.
The Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division said it is expanding its Northeast Health Care Fraud Strike Force to Philadelphia in a push to intensify Medicaid fraud enforcement in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. The initiative pairs the Division’s Health Care Fraud Section with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania and was announced alongside criminal charges against 19 defendants, including home care company owners and employees, over alleged schemes involving more than $4 million in Medicare and Medicaid claims. The Pennsylvania Attorney General also announced a plea agreement involving the final defendant in a previously charged 21-defendant case tied to more than $1.7 million in claims. Officials said the expansion adds federal resources to a district already active in health care fraud enforcement and strengthens efforts to pursue both individual and corporate misconduct. The department said the Strike Force model has led nationally to the prosecution of more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal health care programs and private insurers more than $45 billion. The announcement detailed a series of alleged home care fraud schemes, including claims for services supposedly provided while aides were incarcerated, hospitalized, overseas, driving for ride-share and food delivery services, or claiming impossible work hours. The release also highlighted broader corporate enforcement efforts and said the expanded unit will work with HHS Office of Inspector General (watchdog for health programs), the FBI, the DEA (U.S. drug enforcement agency), and other partners. The department said the expansion follows recent growth of the Strike Force program in other districts and comes after two record-setting National Health Care Fraud Takedowns alleging more than $15 billion in loss in 2025 and more than $6 billion in 2026.