Washington
More than 300 charged in $14.6 billion health care fraud schemes takedown, Justice Department says
WASHINGTON (AP) — State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history.
Law enforcement seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as prosecutors warned of a growing push by transnational criminal networks to exploit the U.S. health care system. As part of the sweeping crackdown, officials identified perpetrators based in Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and other countries.
“These criminals didn’t just steal someone else’s money. They stole from you,” Matthew Galeotti, who leads the Justice Department’s criminal division, told reporters Monday. “Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice.”
The alleged $14.6 billion in fraud is more than twice the previous record in the Justice Department’s annual health care fraud crackdown. It includes nearly 190 federal cases and more than 90 state cases that have been charged or unsealed since June 9. Nearly 100 licensed medical professionals were charged, including 25 doctors, and the government reported $2.9 billion in actual losses.
Among the cases is a $10 billion urinary catheter scheme that authorities say highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by transnational criminal organizations. Authorities say the group behind the scheme used foreign straw owners to secretly buy up dozens of medical supply companies and then used stolen identities and confidential health data to file fake Medicare claims.
Nineteen defendants have been charged as part of that investigation — which authorities dubbed Operation Gold Rush — including four people arrested in Estonia and seven people arrested at U.S. airports and at the border with Mexico, prosecutors said. The scheme involved the stolen identities and personal information of more one million Americans, according to the Justice Department.
“It’s not done by small time operators,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “These are organized syndicates who are designing to hurt America.”
New York
Man sentenced to 25 years to life for fatal stabbing of 9/11 emergency responder
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man on Monday was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in prison for the fatal stabbing of a veteran emergency worker while she was on a break, according to prosecutors
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was convicted in May of second-degree murder for killing Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, then 61, as she walked from her fire department station to a nearby store for food in 2022. She was remembered by mourners as a dedicated public servant who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
There’s no indication that Zisopoulos knew Russo-Elling. His public defender lawyer has said that Zisopoulos “has a past psychiatric history going back to 2018.” The lawyer did not immediately respond to a message left with his office on Monday.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the killing “brutal and senseless.”
Russo-Elling was months away from retirement when she died. She was promoted posthumously from EMS lieutenant to the rank of captain.
“Today, we are appreciative that her killer has been sentenced to the maximum punishment: 25 years to life. This sentencing speaks to the brutality of the crime, and though it won’t bring her back, I pray it will finally give her family the closure they deserve,” said Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker.
Monday’s sentencing came after the unrelated fatal shooting of two on-duty firefighters in Idaho over the weekend.
The Hague
International Criminal Court hit with cyber security attack
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court has been targeted by a “sophisticated” cyberattack and is taking measures to limit any damage, the global tribunal announced Monday.
The ICC, which also was hit by a cyberattack in 2023, said the latest incident had been contained but did not elaborate further on the impact or possible motive.
“A Court-wide impact analysis is being carried out, and steps are already being taken to mitigate any effects of the incident,” the court said in a statement.
The attack happened last week.
“All necessary measures have been taken to ensure the business continuity,” court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told The Associated Press.
The incident happened in the same week that The Hague hosted a summit of 32 NATO leaders at a conference center near the court amid tight security including measures to guard against cyberattacks.
The court declined to say whether any confidential information had been compromised.
The ICC has a number of high-profile investigations and preliminary inquiries underway in nations around the world and has in the past been the target of espionage.
In 2022, a Dutch intelligence agency said it had foiled a plot by a Russian spy using a false Brazilian identity to work as an intern at the court, which is investigating allegations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
Arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, over Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza have also drawn ire. U.S. President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in February and earlier this month also sanctioned four judges at the court.
The court is still feeling the effects of the last cyberattack, with wifi still not completely restored to its purpose-built headquarters.
Nation
Way clear for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14B acquisition of Juniper after Justice Dept settlement
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has reached a settlement with the Justice Department that could clear the way for its $14 billion takeover of rival Juniper Networks.
The Justice Department had sued to block the acquisition, saying it could eliminate competition, raise prices and reduce innovation.
The settlement, which is subject to court approval, calls for Hewlett Packard Enterprise to divest its global Instant On campus and branch business. Hewlett Packard Enterprise will facilitate limited access to Juniper’s advanced Mist AIOps technology once the deal closes.
“Our agreement with the DOJ paves the way to close HPE’s acquisition of Juniper Networks and preserves the intended benefits of this deal for our customers and shareholders, while creating greater competition in the global networking market,” Antonio Neri, president and CEO of HPE, said in a statement.
Last year Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that it was buying Juniper Networks for $40 a share in a deal expected to double HPE’s networking business. Juniper provides routers, switching gear and network security products from its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.
The Justice Department’s intervention — the first of the new administration and just 10 days after Donald Trump’s inauguration — came as somewhat of a surprise at the time. Most predicted a second Trump administration would ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to mergers and deal-making after years of hypervigilance under former President Joe Biden’s watch.
Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise surged more than 12% in Monday afternoon trading, while Juniper Networks’ stock climbed more than 8%.
Pennsylvania
Judge says 3 witnesses sought by Kohberger must testify in trial over Idaho students’ stabbings
STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge on Monday ordered that three people whose testimony has been requested by defense attorneys will have to travel to Idaho to appear at the trial of a man accused of stabbing to death four college students in 2022.
The defense subpoenas were granted regarding a boxing trainer who knew Bryan Kohberger as a teenager, a childhood acquaintance of Kohberger’s and a third man whose significance was not explained.
The 30-year-old Kohberger, who was arrested at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, weeks after the November 2022 killings, is accused of sneaking into a rental home in Moscow, Idaho, not far from the University of Idaho campus, and attacking Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
The deaths shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University.
A prison official came to court with records from Kohberger’s stay in the Monroe County Correctional Facility after he was arrested, although the subpoena hearing was continued because he must still provide a statement attesting to their authenticity.
Common Pleas Judge Arthur Zulick also continued for a week the hearing regarding a subpoena for Ralph Vecchio, who owns a car dealership where Kohberger’s parents purchased a Hyundai Elantra in 2019.
There was uncertainty about whether the subpoena was directed at Vecchio or at his father, who owned the business at the time of the purchase. The judge said prosecution witness subpoenas will also be at issue next week.
A sixth witness’ hearing had previously been rescheduled for next week because of a travel conflict, and the seventh person sought by the defense consented last week to travel to Idaho for the trial expected to begin in August.
Brandon Andreola argued unsuccessfully that his subpoena should be canceled, saying he is his family’s sole breadwinner and is worried publicity might lead to him losing his job.
Andreola said his “relationship with Bryan Kohberger has been minimal and distant since high school,” with their last “significant interaction” taking place in 2020, two years before the stabbings.
“If I’m brought out there, I believe the attention will be multiple times greater than the attention that I’ve received already,” Andreola argued.
Jesse Harris said he trained Kohberger as a 15- or 16-year-old at a boxing gym but does not think he has testimony that will help the case. Harris also said a relative’s health problems were an issue and he is needed to run a small construction company.
Zulick approved the summonses for Andreola and Harris, along with a third one for witness Anthony Somma, who did not oppose it. Zulick said Harris can return to his courtroom if his family member’s health issues become a barrier to Harris’ ability to travel to Idaho.
Kohberger’s trial on four counts of murder and one count of burglary is on track to begin Aug. 11 in Boise, Idaho, after a judge declined his lawyer’s request for a delay last week.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
In a court filing, his lawyers said Kohberger was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed.
Kohberger was silent during his arraignment, prompting a judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
A gag order has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial. The defense team’s lawyer in the Monroe County Courthouse on Monday, Abigail Parnell, declined to comment.
More than 300 charged in $14.6 billion health care fraud schemes takedown, Justice Department says
WASHINGTON (AP) — State and federal prosecutors have charged more than 320 people and uncovered nearly $15 billion in false claims in what they described Monday as the largest coordinated takedown of health care fraud schemes in Justice Department history.
Law enforcement seized more than $245 million in cash, luxury vehicles, cryptocurrency, and other assets as prosecutors warned of a growing push by transnational criminal networks to exploit the U.S. health care system. As part of the sweeping crackdown, officials identified perpetrators based in Russia, Eastern Europe, Pakistan, and other countries.
“These criminals didn’t just steal someone else’s money. They stole from you,” Matthew Galeotti, who leads the Justice Department’s criminal division, told reporters Monday. “Every fraudulent claim, every fake billing, every kickback scheme represents money taken directly from the pockets of American taxpayers who fund these essential programs through their hard work and sacrifice.”
The alleged $14.6 billion in fraud is more than twice the previous record in the Justice Department’s annual health care fraud crackdown. It includes nearly 190 federal cases and more than 90 state cases that have been charged or unsealed since June 9. Nearly 100 licensed medical professionals were charged, including 25 doctors, and the government reported $2.9 billion in actual losses.
Among the cases is a $10 billion urinary catheter scheme that authorities say highlights the increasingly sophisticated methods used by transnational criminal organizations. Authorities say the group behind the scheme used foreign straw owners to secretly buy up dozens of medical supply companies and then used stolen identities and confidential health data to file fake Medicare claims.
Nineteen defendants have been charged as part of that investigation — which authorities dubbed Operation Gold Rush — including four people arrested in Estonia and seven people arrested at U.S. airports and at the border with Mexico, prosecutors said. The scheme involved the stolen identities and personal information of more one million Americans, according to the Justice Department.
“It’s not done by small time operators,” said Dr. Mehmet Oz, who leads the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services. “These are organized syndicates who are designing to hurt America.”
New York
Man sentenced to 25 years to life for fatal stabbing of 9/11 emergency responder
NEW YORK (AP) — A New York man on Monday was sentenced to serve 25 years to life in prison for the fatal stabbing of a veteran emergency worker while she was on a break, according to prosecutors
Peter Zisopoulos, 37, was convicted in May of second-degree murder for killing Lt. Alison Russo-Elling, then 61, as she walked from her fire department station to a nearby store for food in 2022. She was remembered by mourners as a dedicated public servant who responded to the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001.
There’s no indication that Zisopoulos knew Russo-Elling. His public defender lawyer has said that Zisopoulos “has a past psychiatric history going back to 2018.” The lawyer did not immediately respond to a message left with his office on Monday.
Queens District Attorney Melinda Katz called the killing “brutal and senseless.”
Russo-Elling was months away from retirement when she died. She was promoted posthumously from EMS lieutenant to the rank of captain.
“Today, we are appreciative that her killer has been sentenced to the maximum punishment: 25 years to life. This sentencing speaks to the brutality of the crime, and though it won’t bring her back, I pray it will finally give her family the closure they deserve,” said Fire Commissioner Robert S. Tucker.
Monday’s sentencing came after the unrelated fatal shooting of two on-duty firefighters in Idaho over the weekend.
The Hague
International Criminal Court hit with cyber security attack
THE HAGUE, Netherlands (AP) — The International Criminal Court has been targeted by a “sophisticated” cyberattack and is taking measures to limit any damage, the global tribunal announced Monday.
The ICC, which also was hit by a cyberattack in 2023, said the latest incident had been contained but did not elaborate further on the impact or possible motive.
“A Court-wide impact analysis is being carried out, and steps are already being taken to mitigate any effects of the incident,” the court said in a statement.
The attack happened last week.
“All necessary measures have been taken to ensure the business continuity,” court spokesman Fadi El Abdallah told The Associated Press.
The incident happened in the same week that The Hague hosted a summit of 32 NATO leaders at a conference center near the court amid tight security including measures to guard against cyberattacks.
The court declined to say whether any confidential information had been compromised.
The ICC has a number of high-profile investigations and preliminary inquiries underway in nations around the world and has in the past been the target of espionage.
In 2022, a Dutch intelligence agency said it had foiled a plot by a Russian spy using a false Brazilian identity to work as an intern at the court, which is investigating allegations of Russian war crimes in Ukraine and has issued a war crimes arrest warrant for President Vladimir Putin, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
Arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former defense minister, Yoav Gallant, over Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza have also drawn ire. U.S. President Donald Trump slapped sanctions on its chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in February and earlier this month also sanctioned four judges at the court.
The court is still feeling the effects of the last cyberattack, with wifi still not completely restored to its purpose-built headquarters.
Nation
Way clear for Hewlett Packard Enterprise’s $14B acquisition of Juniper after Justice Dept settlement
Hewlett Packard Enterprise has reached a settlement with the Justice Department that could clear the way for its $14 billion takeover of rival Juniper Networks.
The Justice Department had sued to block the acquisition, saying it could eliminate competition, raise prices and reduce innovation.
The settlement, which is subject to court approval, calls for Hewlett Packard Enterprise to divest its global Instant On campus and branch business. Hewlett Packard Enterprise will facilitate limited access to Juniper’s advanced Mist AIOps technology once the deal closes.
“Our agreement with the DOJ paves the way to close HPE’s acquisition of Juniper Networks and preserves the intended benefits of this deal for our customers and shareholders, while creating greater competition in the global networking market,” Antonio Neri, president and CEO of HPE, said in a statement.
Last year Hewlett Packard Enterprise announced that it was buying Juniper Networks for $40 a share in a deal expected to double HPE’s networking business. Juniper provides routers, switching gear and network security products from its headquarters in Sunnyvale, California.
The Justice Department’s intervention — the first of the new administration and just 10 days after Donald Trump’s inauguration — came as somewhat of a surprise at the time. Most predicted a second Trump administration would ease up on antitrust enforcement and be more receptive to mergers and deal-making after years of hypervigilance under former President Joe Biden’s watch.
Shares of Hewlett Packard Enterprise surged more than 12% in Monday afternoon trading, while Juniper Networks’ stock climbed more than 8%.
Pennsylvania
Judge says 3 witnesses sought by Kohberger must testify in trial over Idaho students’ stabbings
STROUDSBURG, Pa. (AP) — A Pennsylvania judge on Monday ordered that three people whose testimony has been requested by defense attorneys will have to travel to Idaho to appear at the trial of a man accused of stabbing to death four college students in 2022.
The defense subpoenas were granted regarding a boxing trainer who knew Bryan Kohberger as a teenager, a childhood acquaintance of Kohberger’s and a third man whose significance was not explained.
The 30-year-old Kohberger, who was arrested at his parents’ home in Albrightsville, Pennsylvania, weeks after the November 2022 killings, is accused of sneaking into a rental home in Moscow, Idaho, not far from the University of Idaho campus, and attacking Ethan Chapin, Xana Kernodle, Madison Mogen and Kaylee Goncalves.
The deaths shocked the rural Idaho community and neighboring Pullman, Washington, where Kohberger was a graduate student studying criminology at Washington State University.
A prison official came to court with records from Kohberger’s stay in the Monroe County Correctional Facility after he was arrested, although the subpoena hearing was continued because he must still provide a statement attesting to their authenticity.
Common Pleas Judge Arthur Zulick also continued for a week the hearing regarding a subpoena for Ralph Vecchio, who owns a car dealership where Kohberger’s parents purchased a Hyundai Elantra in 2019.
There was uncertainty about whether the subpoena was directed at Vecchio or at his father, who owned the business at the time of the purchase. The judge said prosecution witness subpoenas will also be at issue next week.
A sixth witness’ hearing had previously been rescheduled for next week because of a travel conflict, and the seventh person sought by the defense consented last week to travel to Idaho for the trial expected to begin in August.
Brandon Andreola argued unsuccessfully that his subpoena should be canceled, saying he is his family’s sole breadwinner and is worried publicity might lead to him losing his job.
Andreola said his “relationship with Bryan Kohberger has been minimal and distant since high school,” with their last “significant interaction” taking place in 2020, two years before the stabbings.
“If I’m brought out there, I believe the attention will be multiple times greater than the attention that I’ve received already,” Andreola argued.
Jesse Harris said he trained Kohberger as a 15- or 16-year-old at a boxing gym but does not think he has testimony that will help the case. Harris also said a relative’s health problems were an issue and he is needed to run a small construction company.
Zulick approved the summonses for Andreola and Harris, along with a third one for witness Anthony Somma, who did not oppose it. Zulick said Harris can return to his courtroom if his family member’s health issues become a barrier to Harris’ ability to travel to Idaho.
Kohberger’s trial on four counts of murder and one count of burglary is on track to begin Aug. 11 in Boise, Idaho, after a judge declined his lawyer’s request for a delay last week.
Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.
In a court filing, his lawyers said Kohberger was on a long drive by himself around the time the four were killed.
Kohberger was silent during his arraignment, prompting a judge to enter a not guilty plea on his behalf.
A gag order has largely kept attorneys, investigators and others from speaking publicly about the investigation or trial. The defense team’s lawyer in the Monroe County Courthouse on Monday, Abigail Parnell, declined to comment.
