OAKLAND — California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced the California Department of Justice’s (California DOJ) participation in the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated law enforcement operation that resulted in criminal charges against 455 defendants nationwide with over $6.5 billion in intended losses. Working alongside federal authorities and 44 other state attorneys general, CaliforniaDOJ investigators targeted Medi-Cal fraud schemes involving over $1.2 million in fraud, resulting in criminal charges filed against 12 defendants. Those charged in California include doctors, nurse practitioners, a CEO, an office manager, and other licensed medical professionals. 

“This joint federal and state takedown was about protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting the programs that sick and vulnerable Californians rely on, and protecting our state,” said Attorney General Bonta. “We will continue to hold bad actors accountable when they commit deliberate fraud. Fraud against the Medi-Cal program undermines trust, drains critical resources, and threatens care for those who truly depend on it. My office has taken a firm stand to investigate, prosecute, and shut down Medi-Cal fraud wherever it exists.”

This state and federal effort aimed to safeguard taxpayers and eliminate predatory operations exploiting vulnerable patients. The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse (DMFEA) is a division within CA DOJ whose mission is to protect  Californians and the state’s Medi-Cal program from those who defraud taxpayers and divert state health care resources. The investigation was made possible through the collaboration of government agencies and those who reported the instances of Medi-Cal fraud. If you suspect Medi-Cal fraud or elder abuse, you can submit a report  at https://oag.ca.gov/dmfea/reporting.

CA DOJ’s DMFEA joined the Attorneys General’s Offices of Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Puerto Rico, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Virgin Islands, Washington, Wisconsin, and West Virginia as well as FBI, HHS-OIG, DEA, and MFCUs, CMS, Homeland Security Investigations, the Department of Veterans Affairs, Office of Inspector General, IRS Criminal Investigation, Defense Criminal Investigative Service, Department of Labor, United States Postal Service Office of Inspector General, Office of Personnel Management Office of Inspector General, and other federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies participated in the operation.

The DMFEA receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $77,652,892 for Federal Fiscal Year (FFY) 2026. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $25,884,297 for FFY 2026, is funded by the California Attorney General’s Office.  FFY 2026 is from October 1, 2025 through September 30, 2026.

It is important to note that a criminal indictment contains charges that are only allegations against a person. Every defendant is presumed innocent until proven guilty.