{"id":2589041,"date":"2026-04-09T17:52:50","date_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:52:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-officials-make-arrests-in-hospice-fraud-investigation\/"},"modified":"2026-04-09T17:57:53","modified_gmt":"2026-04-09T21:57:53","slug":"california-officials-make-arrests-in-hospice-fraud-investigation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/california-officials-make-arrests-in-hospice-fraud-investigation\/","title":{"rendered":"California officials make arrests in hospice fraud investigation"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fcalifornia-officials-make-arrests-in-hospice-fraud-investigation%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2589041&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>California officials announced charges against 21 people in a sweeping hospice fraud scheme that defrauded Medi-Cal. Five suspects were arrested, adn authorities seized more than $757,000 in cash as part of \u201cOperation Skip Trace,\u201d which targeted 10 locations in Southern California. The scheme involved 14 fraudulent hospice providers and led to more than $267 million in improper claims paid with state and federal funds.<\/p>\n<p>Separately,federal officials have raised concerns about hospice fraud in California,with CMS reporting that the majority of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/fbi-raids-several-california-homes-finding-50-million-in-healthcare-fraud\/\" title=\"... raids several ... homes finding  million in ...\">newly enrolled hospice agencies<\/a> were flagged or had billing privileges restricted. In March, CMS testified that three-fifths of California\u2019s new hospice providers had their billing privileges stripped, and about 35% of the remaining providers had to undergo corrective action. The FBI also arrested eight more people in California in related healthcare-fraud investigations, uncovering over $50 million in fraud. Gov.Gavin newsom\u2019s office credited state agencies for swift action and criticized federal handling of the issue,while noting that state charges cannot be pardoned by a federal president. The piece also <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >references broader policy debates<\/a>,including proposals for a state takeover of Medicaid funds.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">California officials make arrests in sweeping hospice fraud investigation<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_2146919\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/california\/\">California<\/a> Attorney General Rob Bonta (D) announced Thursday that authorities charged nearly two dozen people suspected of carrying out a major <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/Medicare-and-Medicaid\/\">hospice<\/a> fraud scheme that defrauded the state of millions.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Twenty-one people were charged for allegedly carrying out a sweeping scheme that targeted California&rsquo;s Medicaid program, which is called Medi-Cal. Five were arrested, and over $757,000 in cash was seized, as part of &ldquo;Operation Skip Trace,&rdquo; in which authorities searched 10 locations in southern California to unravel the plot, according to Bonta&rsquo;s office. The development comes after the Trump administration raised concerns about sweeping healthcare fraud it says is rooted in the state, with the Centers for Medicare &amp; Medicaid Services revealing last month that the government has <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4495468\/most-new-california-hospice-agencies-flagged-fraud-cms\/\">flagged the majority<\/a> of California&rsquo;s newly enrolled hospice agencies.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Over the life of this fraud scheme, not a single legitimate hospice service was ever provided, yet millions were billed in a brazen, calculated scheme that exploited the Medi-Cal system,&rdquo; Bonta said <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/oag.ca.gov\/news\/press-releases\/attorney-general-bonta-dismantles-los-angeles-hospice-fraud-ring-responsible-267\">in a statement<\/a>.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;This wasn&rsquo;t a mistake or a loophole; it was deliberate fraud. This kind of abuse undermines trust, drains critical resources, and threatens care for those who truly depend on it. This is a perfect example that we have taken a firm stand to investigate, prosecute, and shut down hospice fraud wherever it exists,&rdquo; he added.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Gov. <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/gavin-newsom\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"1426\">Gavin Newsom&rsquo;s<\/a> (D-CA) office said fraudsters stole hundreds of millions by using stolen identities to fraudulently enroll individuals in Medi-Cal and bill for hospice services that were never provided. The scheme involved 14 fraudulent hospice providers and resulted in more than $267 million in improper claims paid with state and federal funds, <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.gov.ca.gov\/2026\/04\/09\/california-stops-major-hospice-fraud-scheme-in-la-brings-criminal-charges-to-hold-fraudsters-accountable\/\">according to<\/a> officials.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>In March, Kimberly Brandt, the chief operating officer of CMS, testified before Congress that federal investigators have stripped billing privileges from three-fifths of California&rsquo;s newly enrolled hospice agencies. Of the remaining California-based hospice service providers that emerged over the past six months, 35% were flagged for corrective action, she said. <\/p>\n<p>Weeks after Brandt&rsquo;s testimony, the <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/crime\/4514113\/federal-law-enforcement-conduct-california-raids-healthcare-fraud\/\">FBI arrested eight people <\/a>in California in connection with alleged suspicious activity in the public healthcare industry, with investigators saying they uncovered over $50 million in healthcare fraud.<\/p>\n<p>CMS administrator Mehmet Oz <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4441635\/newsom-hits-dr-oz-civil-rights-complaint-armenian-hospice-fraud-allegations\/\">has helped lead <\/a>Washington&rsquo;s concerns about California fraud, but the Newsom administration has <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/exclusive-pentagon-delayed-guard-deployment-on-jan-6\/\" title=\"Exclusive: Pentagon Delayed Guard Deployment On Jan. 6\">accused federal officials<\/a> of duplicity in investigating the issue, pointing to President <a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" type=\"post_tag\" id=\"4\">Donald Trump&rsquo;s<\/a> move to pardon &ldquo;the man behind the biggest health care fraud in U.S. history.&rdquo; Trump pardoned Philip Esformes in 2020, when the fraudster was serving a 20-year sentence for bilking $1 billion from Medicare and Medicaid.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;While in prison, Mr. Esformes, who is 52, has been devoted to prayer and repentance and is in declining health,&rdquo; the White House pardon statement said at the time.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><a target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/policy\/healthcare\/4491949\/walz-state-takeover-medicaid-funds\/\"><strong>WALZ PROPOSES STATE TAKEOVER OF MEDICAID FUNDS WITH AGENCY RESPONSIBLE FOR FRAUD CRISIS<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>Newsom&rsquo;s office, in reaction to the latest charges brought against 21 individuals this week, mocked Trump&rsquo;s move to pardon Esformes.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;I thank the Department of Health Care Services and the California DOJ&rsquo;s Department of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse for their swift work to bring these charges forward,&rdquo; Newsom said. &ldquo;Since these are state charges, Donald Trump cannot pardon these individuals in exchange for campaign donations.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>California officials arrest 21 in hospice fraud case<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3142,"featured_media":2589042,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25309693087156.jpg?w=696","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651,538],"tags":[4283,4045,6909,77480],"class_list":["post-2589041","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","category-washington-examiner","tag-arrests","tag-california","tag-fraud","tag-hospice-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/11\/AP25309693087156.jpg?w=696","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589041","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3142"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2589041"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589041\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2589045,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2589041\/revisions\/2589045"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2589042"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2589041"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2589041"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2589041"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}