Blanche, Patel hold press conference on federal actions in Ohio

[18:44] Alright, good morning everybody and thank you very much for being here this morning. [18:53] President Trump and Vice President Vance's war against fraud has come to the great state [19:01] of Ohio and this is a war that we will win. [19:09] The team behind me, federal and state partners, have come together as one to battle what is [19:19] a fraud crisis in this country. [19:23] It has crippled our taxpayer-funded programs and robbed the American purse for too long. [19:32] Under the leadership of our great President and Vice President, the days of the brazen [19:38] theft that we've seen of taxpayer dollars abusing the generosity of the American taxpayer [19:46] is over. [19:48] Our message to fraudsters is simple. [19:51] With our state and local partners, the Department of Justice will be working day and night [19:57] to identify you, arrest you, and imprison you. [20:02] Today, the Department of Justice is announcing significant fraud enforcement in the state [20:07] of Ohio as well as a historic fraud-fighting partnership with state of Ohio officials, which [20:13] is exactly how it should be in every state. [20:17] One that can serve as a template partnership for other states in this country. [20:23] We welcome everyone, everywhere, to team up with our fraud division and our federal partners [20:31] and our U.S. Attorney's offices to bring fraudsters to justice. [20:35] I want to talk about a few cases that we're announcing today. [20:40] And I think you'll agree with me that some criminals have gotten so bold, so audacious as [20:47] to defraud the government of tens of millions of dollars. [20:50] I'm just going to give a few examples right now, it should shock your conscience. [20:54] Today we unsealed a 32-count indictment against two state employees and two other co-conspirators [21:02] for allegedly billing $30 million to the government for therapeutic behavioral services that were [21:09] never provided. [21:11] We've also unsealed an indictment charging four defendants in a scheme to defraud a COVID program. [21:17] Again, these programs, as we all know, were meant to benefit small businesses and individuals [21:23] struggling because of the pandemic. [21:26] In total, between our state and federal partners today, we're announcing charges that were either [21:32] unsealed today or over the past week against 14 defendants allegedly involved in fraud schemes [21:39] targeting over $50 million here in Ohio. [21:44] And again, these numbers are staggering, but just the tip of the iceberg, both here in Ohio [21:49] and nationwide. [21:52] Sadly, Ohio is facing some of the most significant fraud schemes in the country. [22:00] Medicare fraud, pandemic relief fraud, even an international romance fraud scheme that I've [22:05] think you'll hear about shortly. [22:07] And to meet this challenge, to meet this crisis, our response has been and will continue to [22:12] be aggressive, comprehensive, and we will not stop until we fix this problem. [22:20] I want to emphasize something about what the cases that we're bringing represent, a unified [22:26] statewide fraud-fighting effort that's firing on all cylinders. [22:32] You're going to hear from some of us today, after I finish, of the U.S. attorneys, federal [22:38] investigative partners, state partners, and agencies that are going to move fast, are going [22:44] deep, and we're delivering results for the American people. [22:49] So I want to take a moment and thank the prosecutors and agents who work these cases. [22:53] They're not easy cases to work. [22:55] They're not easy cases to investigate, but they're extraordinarily important to the American [23:00] people and to restoring faith, trust, and justice in our systems. [23:07] Also, to the leaders in Ohio, your commitment to this fight isn't just helpful. [23:14] It's necessary for our success. [23:18] This is an example. [23:19] When federal and state partners work together toward justice, our cases are stronger, the [23:23] deterrence is greater, and the biggest problems facing our country, the ones we've been told [23:30] are just the way it is, there's nothing we can do about it, start to look solvable because [23:34] they are. [23:35] I want to thank President Trump because he's told us time and time again that it is the mission [23:44] of this Department of Justice every single day to be relentless in the pursuit of law [23:50] and order. [23:53] Americans deserve to live free of violence and fraud. [23:55] Americans deserve to know that if someone lies or cheats or steals to get ahead, they will [24:00] be punished, and they deserve a government that will never be taken advantage of by fraudsters. [24:08] They're not just words. [24:09] These are a promise that this department will keep. [24:12] There's a lot of folks that want to say a few words, so I'm going to stop there, and [24:16] I just want to, again, thank everybody behind me for being part of this fight. [24:20] And it's now my honor to introduce the great Dr. Oz, who is, I can tell you from my phone [24:31] and my text messages, working tirelessly seven days a week to combat what we're here to address [24:38] today. [24:39] So I'll ask Dr. Oz to say a few words now. [24:42] Thank you. [24:47] The world indignation that the President feels, that many of you share, prompted the creation [24:52] of the task force. [24:53] Many of its members are on the day is today. [24:55] Vice President Vance leads that endeavor and has boldly been able to create an all-of-government [24:59] effect. [25:00] All-of-government doesn't just mean all of federal government. [25:03] It means all of state government as well. [25:05] And I'm here representing Secretary Kennedy and some of the work that we've done looking [25:09] at the numbers that are coming out of the federal government. [25:13] Because the budget of CMS is large, it's $2 trillion roughly, it means it's a big target. [25:18] And foreign players and maybe even foreign governments have been taking bits and pieces [25:24] of this pie for a while. [25:26] But they have been weaponized. [25:28] And we see that here in Ohio. [25:30] And we're speaking about the frustration that many Americans feel left and right of the [25:35] political spectrum. [25:37] And certainly red and blue states both are experiencing this, which is why it was important for us [25:41] to be here today. [25:43] I was here last week with members of the CMS team. [25:45] And we came because we're investigating home health care fraud, autism fraud, and a series [25:50] of different ways that the federal government is being pierced with different arrows from [25:55] criminal elements that desire to suck taxpayer dollars out of the federal government and [25:59] out of state government coffers as well. [26:02] I was visiting a facility called Labelle Home Health, it's run by a woman, Nizumi Tatsing. [26:06] You may not see her here today because she's in jail. [26:09] And she went to jail because she was accused and convicted of taking billing practices to [26:14] a level we had not seen before. [26:16] She was billing for people who are deceased. [26:19] Billing for dead people is a bad-looking court. [26:22] And it showed at her conviction when she was accused and appropriately taken out for doing [26:28] things that we find reprehensible. [26:29] And if she was the only one, we wouldn't be here in force. [26:32] Unfortunately, this area around Columbus is responsible in Franklin County for one-third [26:38] of all of the $1.5 billion spent on home health care in Ohio. [26:42] Think about that. [26:43] A third of all of the money spent on home health care in the entire great state of Ohio is generated [26:48] here. [26:49] There are three times what you would expect. [26:50] There's a road very close to where we are, 288 home health care facilities in that several [26:57] block area on that one road. [26:59] Again, it defies belief. [27:01] Some of these buildings were vacant. [27:02] You wouldn't put anybody up in those buildings, not certainly the place that would house home [27:07] health care. [27:08] Now this is a mecca for Somalian populations. [27:11] It's a hub for Nepalese and Bhutanese populations. [27:15] These are insular groups, but we are naive to think that practices that were felt to [27:20] be commonplace in other parts of the world wouldn't come to this great country if we didn't [27:25] pay attention to some of the program integrity issues which were ignored en masse with the [27:29] prior administration. [27:30] So today we have three major announcements from the health care part of this fraud endeavor. [27:36] The first is that the state of Ohio, and I want to applaud the Medicaid office here, [27:41] they will be announcing at one o'clock, and please pay attention to that important announcement, [27:45] that they are suspending 49 home health care providers who have been identified as high [27:49] risk to the Medicaid program. [27:51] These people have billed millions of dollars to take advantage of our most vulnerable, and [27:56] if you're willing to steal from folks who are down and having a difficult time, you'll [28:00] not just steal their money, you'll steal their health, you'll steal their lives, and we're [28:03] seeing that. [28:04] No more champagne on private jets for these people. [28:06] No more new cars. [28:08] No more luxury endeavors and vacations, it's done. [28:10] We're coming after you wherever you are, and as Attorney General Blanche highlighted, [28:15] we are earnest and serious in this endeavor. [28:17] We will not be daunted. [28:18] Ohio Governor DeWine also sought a six-month moratorium for all new home health care and [28:24] hospice in the state of Ohio. [28:25] We granted that within a day, and we hope that will help at least slow the bleeding using [28:30] a surgical metaphor so we can get a bandage on the wound, maybe put a couple of stitches [28:34] in and take out some of the folks who have been stabbing the patient of Medicaid. [28:38] Second big announcement. [28:39] In order to solidify collaboration, CMS, Medicare, Medicaid, and Ohio are going to launch a state-specific [28:45] Medicaid fraud room. [28:46] It's going to copy the Medicaid fraud room created at the federal level by the task force. [28:52] The findings surfaced through this state partnership, we believe, will free us to be able to directly [28:57] collaborate at a national level, getting all states to understand what the problems are within [29:01] their areas and accelerating our ability to take out high-risk providers. [29:05] We'll identify them and we'll force, enforce actions around them. [29:08] The applied behavioral analysis process, it's called ABA therapy for autism, has been scandalously [29:16] abused and this is again taking advantage of children with autism or getting their parents [29:22] to lie about whether the child has autism or weakening the system so the kids who actually [29:26] need the services can't get them anymore. [29:29] There are nine providers that were paid more than a million dollars to do this last year. [29:33] These ABA services, we're going to go after them. [29:35] We're going to deny some of the issues. [29:38] In fact, two of these people were denied access to Medicare already. [29:41] They should never have been in the Medicaid program. [29:43] The top provider earned over three million dollars. [29:46] That's twice the closest competitor. [29:48] Remember, the average provider of autism services gets paid around $200,000. [29:52] So to have someone pay over three million dollars is shocking. [29:56] And the war room that's created with Ohio will be opening investigations on two home [30:00] health care providers. [30:01] And this war room is going to yield huge benefits. [30:04] And finally, we want to speak a little bit about the fact that we have the need to audit [30:09] states all over the country to help states understand where they are in comparison to [30:13] all the other states. [30:14] We don't have a national effort that allows states to at least get a best practices idea [30:19] from surrounding areas. [30:21] So we have now, and what I can announce today, asked the state of Indiana to work with Oracle [30:25] Health to provide that exact set of information. [30:28] So all the states now will be armed with information, for example, on high-risk providers. [30:33] And the ABA therapy, autism, as I mentioned before, we've asked all 50 states to revalidate [30:38] these providers in other high-risk categories. [30:41] Every single state has agreed. [30:43] By this Friday, they're obliged to provide us with a specific plan. [30:48] But if you're involved in some high-risk endeavor, these are endeavors that are unlicensed individuals [30:52] often in unsupervised settings, we want the states to go back and check who you are. [30:56] We're not paying frosters for dishonest endeavors that hurt the American people. [31:01] And it's my great honor to introduce a wonderful friend, all known to you as the head of the [31:07] FBI, who's done a wonderful job taking this effort on seriously. [31:10] And when CMS, when Medicare and Medicaid can crutch on law enforcement, like we have with the [31:14] DOJ and the Office of Inspector General and the FBI, it accelerates our path towards success. [31:20] Cash. [31:25] Good morning. [31:26] What is the FBI doing to combat fraud? [31:29] It's pretty simple. [31:30] We follow the money. [31:31] We follow all the money. [31:33] And thanks to President Trump's brilliant vision to decimate fraud across the country [31:37] that has been fleecing Americans and our kids and our senior citizens for far too long. [31:41] Law enforcement finally has the backing to deliver like we're delivering here in the state [31:45] of Ohio today. [31:46] Thank you to Vice President J.D. Vance for leading the anti-fraud task force. [31:50] In order to assemble this great team of individuals, you need true leadership across the country, [31:56] and it starts in Washington, D.C. [31:58] None of this work is possible without every single one of these individuals here and their [32:01] teams at the state, local, and federal levels. [32:04] It is truly a team lift, a unified effort under the Trump and Vance administration that has [32:08] brought us here to just highlight some of the work that we are doing. [32:13] Operation Playground Therapy is what the FBI is here to talk about today. [32:16] As the Attorney General highlighted, literally tens of millions of dollars that was supposed [32:21] to go to kids was stolen, allegedly, by individuals who worked in government and the private sector [32:28] and thought they could fleece Americans and our treasure, our children, of the hard-earned [32:34] taxpayer dollars that we provide to support them in their time of need. [32:38] Well, they got caught. [32:39] And not only did they get caught, so many others got caught. [32:42] Just take a look at some of the vehicles that are here as part of their ill-gotten gains [32:46] and proceeds. [32:47] They didn't just take the money, they paraded it around the country. [32:50] And thanks to this team here, you are seeing what hard work, dedication to the rule of law, [32:56] and true unified effort across all fronts when no one wants the credit and everyone wants [33:00] to just do the work. [33:01] These are the results that we are here to talk about today. [33:05] Importantly for the FBI, and thanks to Vice President J.D. Vance's vision, he had an idea. [33:10] He said, hey, you guys have a top ten most wanted list for all gangbangers, terrorists, [33:17] narco-traffickers, murderers, and rapists around the world. [33:20] How about we have a top ten list for most wanted fraudsters? [33:22] So, Mr. Vice President, thanks to your vision, we are here to deliver. [33:26] You see it here today. [33:27] It is live officially on the FBI website. [33:29] I want all Americans to take a look at these most wanted individuals and look at the amounts, [33:34] the tens of millions and billions of dollars in fraud that they have decimated our societies [33:40] from. [33:41] We rely on you. [33:42] Our best form of information is the American public. [33:45] Take a look at this top ten most wanted. [33:48] Let us know any information. [33:49] There is no bad piece of information. [33:51] The only bad piece of information is the one you don't give us. [33:54] So call 1-800-CALL-FBI or go to FBI.gov and help us apprehend more fraudsters. [34:01] The last thing I want to talk about is the work of the FBI and the interagency isn't [34:05] just domestic. [34:07] The fraudsters have created programs overseas that have fleeced Americans of billions of [34:12] dollars. [34:13] The FBI has led that charge against scam center compounds stood up in Southeast Asia and the [34:17] Middle East freeing thousands of trafficked workers. [34:20] Just in the last year under the Trump Advanced Administration and the Fraud Initiative, we [34:24] have captured and freed $8 billion in fraud in scam centers that were stood up by the [34:29] CCP and other adversaries in places like Thailand, Laos and Cambodia and the Middle East. [34:35] And we're working with our interagency and partners across the world to bring hundreds [34:39] of individuals to justice. [34:41] Just the other week in the Middle East, in Dubai, we arrested 300 individuals responsible [34:45] for $4 billion in fraud. [34:47] They prey on our senior citizens here from overseas. [34:51] And this administration has made it abundantly clear there is no distance we won't travel [34:55] to make sure we apprehend each and every one of these individuals. [34:59] The FBI is leading the effort to scuttle these scam centers permanently, to free the traffic [35:03] workers, and most importantly, to also secure our taxpayer dollars and make sure that this [35:08] $8 billion and counting in scam center fraud that the FBI has delivered on so far only [35:13] continues to grow. [35:14] And we're going to keep doing it. [35:15] I just want to thank the Attorney General, the interagency partnerships here, state and [35:19] local. [35:20] I've said it over and over again. [35:21] The FBI's best partners are state and local law enforcement, and they're here today, and [35:26] these are the results. [35:27] And it's now my honor to introduce the Assistant Attorney General for the Fraud Task Force, [35:31] Kyle MacDonald. [35:37] Thank you, Director Patel, and good morning to all of you. [35:40] Thank you for being here. [35:41] The war against fraud has come to Ohio, and we plan to leave no doubt as to who will win. [35:51] That will be the team behind me, federal and state partners who have come together as one [35:57] to battle the fraud crisis that has crippled our taxpayer-funded programs and robbed the [36:03] American purse for too long. [36:07] Under President Trump, Vice President Vance, and Acting Attorney General Blanche, the days [36:12] of brazen thievery of taxpayer dollars is over. [36:17] With our state and federal partners, the Department of Justice is rapidly deploying a fraud-fighting [36:23] apparatus that is capable of fighting fraud no matter how big, no matter how small, no matter [36:29] how hard. [36:32] In the last 60 days, the Department of Justice has announced more than 550 fraud enforcement [36:38] actions across the country representing billions of dollars in attempted theft from the United [36:46] States taxpayer. [36:48] There is nowhere we won't go to fight fraud. [36:52] And that includes here in Ohio. [36:54] Today, Ohio's fraud-fighting team is uniting with us in historic ways to contribute uniquely [37:02] to the fight against fraud. [37:05] Attorney General Dave Yost, you'll hear from him in a minute, is advancing an $11 million [37:10] fraud action through the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. [37:13] And as he concludes his service in the Attorney General's office, we thank him for his years [37:17] of commitment to Ohio and wish him well in his next chapter. [37:22] The Fraud Division and Ohio Secretary of State Frank LaRose executed this morning a data-sharing [37:29] agreement that provides the Fraud Division access to corporate registrant data held by the [37:35] State of Ohio. [37:37] This data will be used in proactive data analysis to quickly identify ownership links between [37:43] clinics, labs, and billing entities that fraudsters use and hide behind to obscure control over [37:50] healthcare fraud and other fraud schemes. [37:53] We thank Secretary LaRose for collaborating with us today. [37:59] Auditor Keith Faber continues to set the standard for state-led fraud investigations and for [38:04] building enforcement capacity and coordination. [38:08] His office has applied to the DOJ's Special Attorneys Grant Program to detail special prosecutors [38:15] to the Department of Justice's Fraud Division. [38:18] And we welcome all state and local prosecutors to do the same and follow Auditor Faber's lead. [38:24] Director Robert Sprague has formally joined the Statewide Benefits Fraud Enforcement Task Force [38:29] initiated by U.S. Attorney Gerace. [38:33] His office will aim to bring critical financial analysis capabilities that will strengthen our [38:39] ability to identify irregularities, prevent improper payments, and safeguard taxpayer funds. [38:46] Each of these steps taken by these state leaders strengthen our ability to accomplish our shared fraud [38:53] enforcement enforcement mission. [38:55] The days of information silos are over. [38:59] The leadership here and the willingness to innovate and collaborate is raising the standard [39:04] for every other state. [39:05] Ohio is proving what's possible when federal and state partners move in lockstep, smarter [39:12] detection, stronger enforcement, and real protection for the American taxpayer. [39:18] The truth is, we need all hands on deck in every state. [39:23] The National Fraud Task Force, the Department of Justice, and the Fraud Division will work [39:27] collaboratively with anyone who is committed to ending fraud in America and saving the taxpayers' [39:34] money. [39:35] To state and local law enforcement, if you have something that could use federal muscle, [39:40] bring it to us. [39:41] We want to help. [39:43] To the attorneys and the agents on the cases that are being announced today, thank you for [39:47] your dedicated hard work to achieve the aims of justice. [39:51] To the people of Ohio, if someone offers you a medical perk that sounds too good to be true, [39:57] it is. [39:58] If you see fraud or even suspect it, tell us. [40:02] Your reports protect your neighbors, your communities, and your tax dollars. [40:07] You can report fraud to tips.fbi.gov or in Ohio at 866-FRAUD-OH. [40:15] And now to the fraudsters, you reap what you sow, and your seeds are deceit, greed, and corruption. [40:26] We are resolved to till every field and turn over every rock to find you and bring you [40:34] to justice. [40:35] To all my partners, thank you. [40:37] Let's keep going, let's keep up the fight, and let's leave no doubt as to the score. [40:43] And I'll now turn the podium over to our great partner at the SBA, Administrator Kelly [40:47] Loeffler. [40:53] Thank you, Mr. Assistant Attorney General. [40:56] I'm truly honored to be part of the President's Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. [41:03] I'm so grateful for his fight for the American people on this issue, and I'm grateful to Vice [41:08] President Vance for his leadership and to Chairman Ferguson and the entire team here, the willingness [41:15] to take on this issue and the criminals that no other administration has been willing to [41:20] go after. [41:22] All businesses are our biggest job creator in the country, but they're also our nation's [41:27] biggest taxpayers. [41:29] Like every taxpayer, they deserve to know that the programs that they pay into will be there [41:34] for those who need them, not siphoned away by fraudsters who would rather steal from hard-working [41:40] Americans than become hard-working Americans. [41:44] Since day one, the SBA has focused our efforts on the Paycheck Protection Program, which will [41:50] go down as one of the most defrauded federal programs in American history. [41:55] During the pandemic, our agency delivered $1.2 trillion that was meant for small businesses, [42:04] of which the Office of Inspector General deemed $200 billion was stolen, including right here [42:11] in Ohio. [42:12] The Biden administration chose to look the other way, giving criminals de facto amnesty at the [42:19] expense of your taxpayers. [42:22] But this administration is choosing accountability. [42:26] Last month, the SBA referred 560,000 borrowers to the DOJ and Treasury—that's over half a million [42:35] borrowers—to start collections and prosecutions for $22 billion in suspected PPP fraud. [42:44] Today we've announced suspensions for 140,000 borrowers across California, Minnesota, and Maine, [42:54] totaling $9 billion. [42:56] And today, I'm here to announce suspensions for over 27,000 Ohio borrowers tied to $1.1 billion [43:06] in suspected PPP fraud. [43:09] As you've heard today, this task force is exposing the fraudsters, making them return [43:14] what they stole, and sending them to jail. [43:17] The Trump administration will uphold law and order and not protect criminals at the expense [43:23] of honest, hard-working Americans. [43:26] This administration is putting up new guardrails for the future, and we will go state by state [43:31] to correct the past. [43:32] I want to thank my colleagues for their dedication. [43:36] None of this would have been possible without the President's fight for the American people, [43:40] the Vice President's leadership, and this team's hard work. [43:44] There is no fraud too small. [43:47] And that's why the SBA is proud to help deliver justice on behalf of America's job creators. [43:53] Thank you. [43:54] And it's now my honor to turn it over to our FTC chairman, Andrew Ferguson. [43:59] Andrew Ferguson. [44:06] Good morning. [44:07] We are here because President Trump decided to declare war on fraud. [44:11] And the only way we could assemble a team like this, state officials, local federal officials, [44:17] senior national federal officials, all to combat fraud is because of President Trump's leadership. [44:23] And he put Vice President Vance in charge of the Anti-Fraud Task Force, the point of the [44:28] spear in the war on fraud, because Vice President Vance has the determination, energy, and leadership [44:33] to carry this thing forward across the entire federal government along with our state partners. [44:37] The Vice President has articulated a clear vision for how this war will go, a two-pronged [44:42] attack on fraudsters. [44:44] The Department of Justice and their partners in state governments and the Department of [44:48] Homeland Security will put fraudsters in jail. [44:51] And the agencies will make sure that we install safeguards so that the money never reaches [44:56] the fraudsters' pockets in the first place. [44:59] Today you've seen both prongs of this attack on full display. [45:04] The department getting arrest after arrest, indictment after indictment in the war on fraud. [45:10] And the agencies led, for example, by Administrator Loeffler, SBA has done more work than almost [45:15] any agency in the federal government to combat fraud, making sure that this money never gets [45:20] back to fraudsters and the money that did go out the door is recovered. [45:25] Today I'm here to announce another major implementation in the agency part of this war on fraud. [45:30] HHS Office of the Inspector General, led by March Bell, in coordination with the Task Force, [45:36] has decertified Hawaii's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. [45:40] Let me explain why this is important. [45:42] Every year, the United States taxpayers send $2 trillion through Medicaid and Medicare out [45:47] to the states. [45:48] There are conditions on the money that goes out to the states, and one of them is very [45:52] simple. [45:53] If states want access to this money, they have to create a unit to fight fraud in those states, [45:59] led by the Attorney Generals of those states. [46:01] We are joined up here by Dave Yost. [46:03] Ohio's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is one of the gold standard control units for fighting [46:08] fraud in the United States, and that is a credit to his leadership. [46:11] The opposite has been taking place in Hawaii. [46:14] For more than a decade, Hawaii's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has received millions and [46:19] millions of dollars to fight fraud and has consistently been one of the lowest performing [46:24] fraud units in the country. [46:25] They have been the subject of continued demands to improve their performance since 2014, dating [46:31] back to the Obama administration. [46:33] And from 2021 to 2025, Hawaii's Medicaid funding went up 27 percent. [46:39] Their Medicaid enrollment went up 40 percent. [46:42] And they did not produce a single conviction or obtain a single indictment of a fraudster from [46:47] 2021 to 2025. [46:50] So this morning, the Inspector General, in coordination with the task force, exercised [46:54] his statutory obligation to end the grants being paid to Hawaii to make sure that money [47:00] that goes out the door to the states is going to actually fight fraud. [47:04] Less than a month ago, HHS sent a letter to every single AG in the United States and [47:08] said, we are putting you on notice for the first time that the Trump administration is [47:13] going to take seriously the obligation that you have an effective Medicaid fraud control [47:17] unit in your state. [47:19] Everyone is on notice, and today, Hawaii is being decertified for its abject failure to [47:24] enforce state and federal law to prohibit fraud in Hawaii. [47:28] And the reason this is important is because one of the requirements for getting Medicaid money [47:33] for your state is to have an effective Medicaid fraud control unit. [47:38] And if you don't have one, it can jeopardize the state's access to Medicaid money generally. [47:44] So I want everyone in every state to look to the example of Dave Yost and Ohio. [47:49] This is what you're striving for, arrests, convictions, the protections of the taxpayers [47:54] in your state and of the Medicaid programs in your state, and avoid becoming like Hawaii [48:00] that has zero convictions and zero indictments to show for millions and millions of taxpayer [48:06] dollars to fight fraud. [48:08] And with that, I'm going to turn it over to Dave Yost, Ohio's Attorney General. [48:12] We're grateful for the resources and the interest of the federal government. [48:30] We're fully committed here in Ohio to working with our federal partners to get results. [48:38] Today we've heard about several enforcement actions. [48:43] We have a couple of indictments. [48:45] One is a state case that was indicted just Wednesday in Butler County. [48:54] We've been working on that case since the beginning of the year. [48:58] And the federal case, which was indicted earlier this week in the Southern District, thanks to [49:05] our partnership with United States Attorney Dominic Gergerais, began in September of 24. [49:15] These cases are pieced together by skilled investigators, people who have worked on this their entire career, [49:26] and burning the shoe leather that it takes to build a criminal case. [49:31] You know, I began my career many years ago as a journalist. [49:35] I've put together a story. [49:38] I know what it takes to put together a story. [49:39] I also know what it takes to put together a criminal case by proof beyond a reasonable doubt. [49:45] And it takes a lot longer to go to court with the case. [49:50] I'm proud of my team that's put together these cases. [49:55] In total, over $42 million just in these two cases. [50:00] In both cases, the defendants, we allege, were exploiting families, supposedly providing [50:07] kids with particularly behavioral services, enrolled in community programs. [50:15] The kids didn't even know they were enrolled in these programs, much less get any of the [50:20] services needed to their parents, complete fraud, top to bottom. [50:27] I will repeat what's already been said, if you see something, say something. [50:31] This is your money that's being stolen. [50:36] I want to just point out that today marks something different. [50:42] I've been engaged in this fight since I was the elected auditor of state back in 2011. [50:51] For my eight years as auditor of state, and almost eight years now as attorney general, [50:59] I have been doing Medicaid investigations, prosecutions. [51:04] I have never had the level of interest and support from the federal government under any [51:11] administration that you're witnessing here today. [51:16] It's been a sometimes lonely fight against fraud, but it's no longer a lonely fight. [51:25] And what's the difference? [51:28] President Trump, Vice President Vance, and this team that you see arrayed here today, these [51:34] senior federal officials who could be anywhere else, who have serious duties, are saying this [51:40] is the most important thing. [51:42] I'm going to be here. [51:44] We're putting everything on the field. [51:47] I'm grateful for your commitment, and I look forward to the continued partnership as we [51:53] work together with people of this state. [51:58] And David Tupler is the United States Attorney for the Northern District. [52:03] Thank you, General Yost. [52:09] Thank you to everyone who's assembled here today to highlight the amazing work being done [52:13] by our federal prosecutors, our state prosecutors, federal, state, and local investigators to [52:18] fight fraud in this state. [52:21] Our office is announcing today that we have charged five individuals with conspiracy to [52:24] commit wire fraud and conspiracy to engage in money laundering. [52:29] These are individuals, four of whom are from the nation of Ghana. [52:32] One is a United States citizen. [52:35] These defendants were part of a criminal network that devised a romance fraud scheme to obtain [52:39] money by targeting elderly Americans in this country and using social media platforms. [52:45] They engaged in highly advanced techniques using artificially intelligence generated videos in order [52:52] to engage people using false personas, developing close personal relationships with them, and [52:58] ultimately stealing their money. [53:00] Once they established trust, they used false pretenses and stories about vast inheritances of [53:06] money, gold, or diamonds, and then convinced these elderly Americans to help finance bogus legal [53:13] proceedings in the nation of Ghana. [53:16] So between July of 24 and April of 2026, these defendants victimized over a hundred people across [53:22] the United States, obtaining over $15 million along the way. [53:26] They then used this stolen money to buy a mansion in Ghana, diamond-encrusted jewelry, a Lamborghini, [53:35] and other high-end luxury vehicles. [53:39] All of those assets have now been seized and are going through the forfeiture proceedings [53:43] so that they will not profit from their fraudulent efforts. [53:47] To date, two citizens from Ghana have been arrested. [53:50] One United States citizen has been arrested and is detained here in the United States pending [53:54] trial. [53:55] Many two other citizens in Ghana are awaiting extradition to this nation. [54:00] I want to acknowledge the hard work done by our federal prosecutors. [54:03] The FBI did outstanding investigative work as well, but we would not have been successful [54:07] without additional help from our other partners, including Homeland Security Investigations, Customs [54:13] and Border Patrol, the DEA, and our law enforcement counterparts in Ghana. [54:19] These indictments send a stark message and warning to criminals everywhere that we will not [54:24] tolerate the victimization of our elderly loved ones and neighbors. [54:28] And we will hunt you down to the ends of the earth to ensure that you are brought to justice [54:34] and will never benefit from your criminal activity. [54:38] I would now like to turn it over to my colleague, United States Attorney Don McTierry. [54:42] Don McTierry. [54:48] Thank you, Dave. [54:51] Good morning. [54:52] I would like to thank Acting Attorney General Blanche and all of the distinguished attendees [54:57] we have up here today joining us in Columbus to make these announcements. [55:02] As a U.S. Attorney, I'm proud of the work that our prosecutors and the agents do here in [55:06] the Southern District of Ohio. [55:09] The indictments we've unsealed today are emblematic of the quality that we are capable of, and [55:15] I want to commend my AUSAs and our partner agencies and agents for a job well done. [55:22] Today we've got two cases as mentioned by earlier speakers. [55:25] One, a $30 million Medicaid fraud case. [55:29] The other, a $1.4 million paycheck protection program PPP loan fraud case. [55:37] $30 million, $1.4 million. [55:40] There's no number too big or too small that we will pursue to make sure that those who steal [55:47] from the taxpayers are held accountable, and as importantly, that their ill-gotten gains [55:54] are divested from them. [55:56] And you saw a photo earlier of some vehicles, 14 luxury vehicles seized in relation to that [56:03] Medicare fraud case. [56:04] A McLaren, a Bentley, Mercedes, Land Rovers. [56:10] $800,000 worth of vehicles that these individuals who are charged in this indictment obtained as [56:17] part of the alleged scheme and our indictment. [56:19] So I'm very proud of the work of our folks in this district and what they've done and [56:24] will continue to do because our work is far from done. [56:27] I want to ensure the public that we are laser-focused in this district on the problem of fraud and [56:33] that we are well-equipped to do the work necessary to address that problem. [56:38] Over the last few weeks, in addition to these cases we've announced today, our office has [56:42] worked hand-in-hand with our partners at the FBI, HHS OIG, and the Medicaid Fraud Control [56:49] Unit from Attorney General Yost's office, along with some prosecutors from his office, [56:54] to obtain a search warrant that was executed just this morning on a home healthcare company [56:59] located in Columbus, Ohio. [57:02] And while that investigation is just beginning, I'm not going to talk about any details due [57:05] to that. [57:06] I want to say the work that's been accomplished by our teams in that short period of time [57:10] to obtain that warrant is a testament to our capabilities and the resolve that we have [57:15] to combat taxpayer-funded fraud. [57:18] And I believe that capability and resolve will only increase. [57:21] We've announced today that we've assembled in the Southern District of Ohio a fraud task [57:26] force similar to a task force that's being assembled in the Northern District of Ohio by [57:30] my colleague Dave Tepfer. [57:32] That task force is designed to operate similarly to how we operate in the violent crime space. [57:37] We're going to identify and target fraud offenders. [57:41] We're going to be intentional about that, and we're going to make sure that we're injecting [57:44] a greater sense of urgency into fraud cases than ever before. [57:48] So I want to thank all of our attendees here today for coming to Ohio. [57:52] It's an important time to focus on fraud in Ohio. [57:55] I want to commend all my staff and prosecutors and the agents we work with. [58:00] And I want to thank all the state and federal agencies up here today. [58:03] All of those agencies have committed to our fraud task force in the Southern District, [58:08] and we're looking forward to continuing the hard work that's already been done. [58:12] Thank you. [58:13] I'm now going to turn it back over to Attorney General Blanche. [58:16] All right. [58:17] Thanks a lot, everybody. [58:18] Thank you, Dominic. [58:19] All right. [58:20] You just heard a lot of information. [58:21] We're happy to take questions. [58:22] If it's not to me, just address it to somebody else and we'll make sure they get up here to [58:26] the microphone. [58:28] Thank you very much. [58:29] You guys have mentioned you have prosecutions from coast to coast, Maine, California, Minneapolis. [58:34] I'm wondering if you're now here in Ohio, and I'm wondering if you can speak to the genesis [58:39] of this fraud on taxpayer funding program. [58:42] Did it begin in Minnesota and was it taken to these other states? [58:46] What can you say about the threat of it? [58:50] So the question is when, how did this fraud start? [58:53] I mean, I think that's, it's been going on for a very long time. [58:58] And by the way, the Department of Justice has prosecuted fraud cases for decades. [59:02] This isn't a new thing we're doing. [59:03] But what we realized over the past several years, there were certain jurisdictions, including [59:07] Minnesota, where the compliance was so lax or non-existent that you could literally just [59:12] steal millions and millions of dollars with nobody even checking, with nobody even investigating. [59:17] And so when you talk about what Dr. Oz was talking about, about just stopping the flow [59:21] of money, that's different than a criminal prosecution. [59:24] That's a very basic step to say, wait a second, we're not supposed to be giving you money, [59:28] putting aside whether you're committing a crime or not. [59:30] And that wasn't happening. [59:31] And you talk about what the SBA is doing. [59:34] It's the same idea. [59:35] It's not, there's compliance that we can put in place, but that we expect states to put [59:40] in place. [59:41] And so on top, so this has been a, we call it a war. [59:45] And it is. [59:46] We call it a crisis. [59:47] It is a crisis because it's your money, right? [59:50] It's our money. [59:51] The generosity of the American taxpayer is going out to just pure thievery. [59:57] And so I don't think it's fair to blame a particular jurisdiction for the inception [1:00:01] of the fraud. [1:00:02] But there are certain jurisdictions, like Minnesota, that we have focused on. [1:00:06] And now we're in Ohio and it's happening in California and New York and other jurisdictions. [1:00:11] But it's, we need state partners like Ohio to say it's not, we're going to do our own [1:00:18] work to stop the fraud. [1:00:19] And that's what we're hoping to, that being here today motivates other states to follow [1:00:24] this lead. [1:00:25] Mr. Acting Attorney General, thank you so much for taking the question. [1:00:28] Something that we hear all the time, I'm sure you guys do also, is people want the money back. [1:00:34] Can you speak to how difficult that is and also about auditor favors emphasizing prevention, [1:00:41] because it's so much, you know, better to get it on the front end. [1:00:45] I know this is a two-pronged process, Mr. Ferguson stated, but maybe you could address [1:00:49] about the money and then about the prevention. [1:00:52] It's a great question. [1:00:53] If there is a five-year fraud that we charge and we, like you just heard from our U.S. [1:00:58] attorneys, we're getting cars, we're getting jewelry, we're getting homes, we're getting [1:01:01] cash, but we're catching it at the end. [1:01:04] Obviously money is spent along the way, we're not going to be able to recover everything [1:01:07] and it is a, has to be a priority, and it is a priority to, when we go after somebody, [1:01:14] to make sure we do everything we can to get their ill-gotten gates. [1:01:17] It, again, goes back to what Dr. Oz was talking about, though. [1:01:20] Stop giving them money, right? [1:01:22] So when we turn off the funds, because either states or we know that, whether it's a center, [1:01:29] whether it's a program, whether it's a hospital, whether it's an individual, is not qualified, [1:01:34] that also stops the flow of money. [1:01:36] But it is, it is our mission, and you, you heard about it today in the forfeiture proceedings [1:01:41] that are happening, to not only arrest the bad guy, but also to get every single dime [1:01:46] that they, that they made off of this, because we have to create a disincentive, [1:01:50] that it should not be worth it for them, for these guys to do what they're doing. [1:01:54] And until very recently, this was a phenomenal opportunity, if you were a criminal. [1:02:00] It was unchecked, the money was unlimited, and, and you could go, like you heard, [1:02:04] you can go and buy, buy houses, buy cars, and, and so that's what we're stopping. [1:02:15] And if that's the thing, are you, are you concerned about services that are not, you know, [1:02:32] being in fraud, and, or, say, things taking the burden of food? [1:02:36] Yes, sir. [1:02:37] Dr. Oz, do you want to answer that one? [1:02:38] We are definitely suspending payments. [1:02:41] I'll give you one example outside of Ohio that don't come here. [1:02:44] The one-third of all hospices in the entire nation, and again, hospice is a program developed [1:02:48] 40 years ago for people at the end of their life, dying of cancer, for example, [1:02:52] just to give them a few months of dignity. [1:02:55] So you give up your Medicare to get hospice, a lot of money transfers when that happens. [1:02:59] Of the one-third of all the hospices that are in California, in the entire nation, [1:03:04] not in, actually, it's just in Los Angeles, we have now suspended payments to almost half. [1:03:09] Now, a few of these hospices have written AI-generated complaints, [1:03:13] a few have generated legitimate complaints, but if we have two dozen hospices [1:03:17] that we need to turn back on again, and we've shut down, let's say, 900, [1:03:21] that's a fairly good hit rate. [1:03:24] And so the goal here in Ohio, and the same thing that the MFUCOs, [1:03:28] the Medicare Fraud Control Unit here is doing, as well as our youth attorneys, is to look around and say, [1:03:32] okay, where are the places where there's clear aberrations in spending? [1:03:36] If one-third of all home health care is in this county, then it makes sense to suspend folks in this county, [1:03:41] and we did that today, and we're going to continue to do that together with your local law enforcement. [1:03:45] The Office Inspector General takes it seriously as well. [1:03:48] As Attorney General, Acting Attorney General Blanche said, we have the opportunity to claw back money, [1:03:53] but I liken this much more to what happened with illegal immigration. [1:03:56] Once people have come across the border, and more than 10 million did, it's very hard to get them back out again, [1:04:02] but if you never let the border be porous, you don't have that problem. [1:04:05] This administration under President Trump very clearly demonstrated it was just an act of desire. [1:04:11] If you put your mind to it, you can do it. [1:04:13] We don't have legal immigration right now, thanks to federal enforcement of those laws. [1:04:17] The same thing could happen in health care if we put our mind to it. [1:04:20] We control our destiny. It is up to us. [1:04:22] The other thing that's important to note, these frauds are pretty simplistic, unfortunately. [1:04:30] So when Dr. Oz talks about doing the analysis on these hospices, you can tell by the data which ones are legitimate. [1:04:38] And it's true, maybe you're wrong every once in a while, but the massive amounts, [1:04:42] when you have a particular hospice earning, you know, 30,000 a month and another one earning 300,000, [1:04:48] and they're the same size that there's something's not right there. So what? [1:04:53] Well, I'm not going to speak to what state officials here have said. [1:05:23] I can only tell you about what we see and the results that we react to. [1:05:28] What Colin talked about earlier about meeting federal and state to work together in every state. [1:05:34] When we had the opportunity to come here, when we saw the results that were happening here, [1:05:39] we showed up here as opposed to anywhere else because of what we're seeing out of the attorney general's office, [1:05:45] state and local partners. We signed an MOU this morning that's going to allow us to share data. [1:05:50] So I guess a local politician can talk, but then we can have people that actually do and act, [1:05:56] and I'll take the do and act over just somebody talking any day. [1:06:00] Yeah, go back. The very back. Yes, Rhett. [1:06:04] Thank you, Acting Attorney General Blanche. [1:06:06] I have a specific question about whistleblowers that are terrified of talking about fraud and reporting it. [1:06:13] In the state of Ohio, several of them, almost a year ago, had evidence of widespread fraud. [1:06:19] It came to me in December because there are offices like the agency's office that would not provide protection. [1:06:24] This was exposed in terms of millions of dollars of fraud, including providers billing. [1:06:30] What can we do to strengthen that to make sure that whistleblowers can come to state agencies [1:06:35] because we don't have strong protections here? [1:06:38] And then what can we do for better access to these public records? [1:06:41] Because it's been five months since Ohioans have yet to see how much we're spending on home health care services, [1:06:47] and that's a direct block from the governor's office. [1:06:50] So what can the feds do to give us transparency? Because that's really what Ohioans are demanding today. [1:06:57] So I think that when it comes to data sharing, transparency, access to records, sharing information, right? [1:07:04] So it's one thing if a state agency has it, and it's another thing if that information actually gets to the right state partner, [1:07:11] or the right inspector general, or federal partner, we cannot win this fight against fraudsters unless we work together. [1:07:19] And by we, I mean all the federal partners. [1:07:22] That means the Department of Justice working with the folks on this stage. [1:07:25] It means the Department of Justice working with AG's offices. [1:07:28] And so anytime you have anybody along that important path that stands up and says we're not going to do it, [1:07:38] or we have an objection, we're not going to share information, it makes it more difficult. [1:07:41] We're seeing that in Minnesota. [1:07:42] Yet the governor of Minnesota happily say they were cooperating with us when we were executing dozens of enforcement actions around the state. [1:07:52] When the truth is, he's suing us, he's not cooperating with us, okay? [1:07:58] And so you can actually talk and say things like we'll cooperate, or you can do things like cooperate. [1:08:04] And so again, going back to the question earlier, the reason why we're here is not because of talk, [1:08:09] and not because of what some politician says, but what is actually happening here. [1:08:13] And so that's what we, look, Colin said it, and it's true, we will work with anybody. [1:08:17] Director Cash said the same thing. [1:08:19] If you have information, tell us, and we'll work with it. [1:08:22] So, other questions? [1:08:24] Second row, Orange. [1:08:25] You suggested that these schemes were previously ignored by the previous administration. [1:08:31] How often are these providers audited, and how is that process changing? [1:08:36] Well, I think I can let the individuals speak to that about how often it depends on the program, it depends on the state agency. [1:08:44] We put a lot of trust in state governments to do the compliance and the auditing. [1:08:50] Some states do a great job. [1:08:51] You just heard about Hawaii. [1:08:53] And by the way, we pay for it. [1:08:55] You pay for it. [1:08:56] Our tax dollars pay for it. [1:08:57] So we ask a state to spend the taxpayers' dollars wisely. [1:09:01] We give them the tools to do so, financially and otherwise. [1:09:05] And when we say that there's been, that the last administration was asleep at the wheel, it's because they were just letting it happen at these state levels. [1:09:13] So when you talk about what Ferguson talked about, about, hey, we are going to send letters to every state saying you're on notice. [1:09:22] That's what we should be doing. [1:09:23] That's our job, to say we're giving you money. [1:09:25] We want to make sure you're spending it the way you're supposed to be spending it. [1:09:27] And if you're not, we're going to stop giving you money. [1:09:29] We're going to decertify you, and you're going to have to come back and earn it. [1:09:33] So we're reflecting on the very bad things that happened for many years, but we're also – we're done with it. [1:09:42] We have a task force. [1:09:43] We're focused on it every day, and we're moving forward, and we're already seeing extraordinary results in just over a month, two months. [1:09:50] And the results, I fully expect, but we'll continue to see. [1:09:56] Go ahead. [1:09:57] Actually, Attorney General, I wanted to get comments from you on President Trump indicating he plans to nominate you full-time Attorney General, [1:10:03] and also did comment on how you think the Senate confirmation process. [1:10:08] So, yes. [1:10:09] So, obviously, I'm honored and humbled that the President indicated he was going to nominate me today. [1:10:14] I was with him last night at the dinner when he said that. [1:10:18] I was confirmed a year ago to be the Deputy Attorney General. [1:10:22] I still am the Deputy Attorney General. [1:10:23] I will work with the Senators. [1:10:25] I have a good relationship with the Senate on both sides. [1:10:29] I don't say no to phone calls. [1:10:30] I'll meet with anybody that wants to meet with me. [1:10:32] And I think the work that this department has been doing since President Trump took office, if you look at any stat across the board, it's much better. [1:10:42] We're much safer. [1:10:43] Our communities are better off. [1:10:45] Drugs are coming off the streets. [1:10:47] And that's what President Trump expects. [1:10:49] And that's, frankly, what I think everybody in this country expects. [1:10:52] So I'm looking forward to working with the Senators and getting them the information they need through the confirmation process. [1:10:59] Last question. [1:11:00] Yeah. [1:11:08] I mean, I can let others speak to that, but don't worry. [1:11:28] I mean, the American people, the American government is extremely generous. [1:11:32] And we want to help those among us that need financial help or services. [1:11:37] That's why we have these programs. [1:11:38] They're good programs. [1:11:39] Nobody up here has said that having programs to help families with autistic children is a bad thing. [1:11:45] So if you are a parent or somebody who works or runs a center that's doing the right thing, you ought not worry. [1:11:52] Because what we're doing is actually protecting you. [1:11:54] What we're doing by going after the people that are taking advantage of the money and the programs that Congress has put in place and that the President fully supports is we are making sure that the money goes to the right people. [1:12:06] So I don't and actually I don't know if that's true. [1:12:08] I think that people that are doing the right thing and parents that are doing the right thing and businesses that are doing the right thing are not worried. [1:12:15] They're sleeping well at night because they know that we're not targeting them. [1:12:19] We're not targeting people that are doing it right. [1:12:21] We're targeting the criminals that are doing it wrong. [1:12:24] Okay. [1:12:25] All right. [1:12:26] I want to thank everybody for coming today. [1:12:27] Again, as we end, I want to thank the people on the first row and the second row here. [1:12:32] This is a good day for Ohio, even though we're talking about about crimes and fraud and stopping it. [1:12:39] And so thanks to our partners and thank everybody for being here today. [1:12:42] Thank you.