Fugitive accused in $547M Medicare fraud scheme captured after 3 years on the run: FBI – WZTV

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by JESSICA A. BOTELHO | The National News Desk
FBI Director Kash Patel said the agency captured a fugitive accused of orchestrating a massive Medicare fraud scheme worth more than half a billion dollars.

Satary played a central role in a healthcare fraud conspiracy that scammed Medicare of more than $547 million, according to Patel.
The FBI said Satary owned and operated several diagnostic testing laboratories across the U.S. between 2016 and 2019. Authorities alleged he worked with patient recruiters, telemarketing call centers, and telemedicine companies to generate orders for unnecessary cancer genetic tests through "deceptive marketing campaigns" and illegal kickbacks.
Investigators said the laboratories billed Medicare more than $547 million for the tests, which allegedly generated reimbursements of $10,000 to $20,000 per sample. Prosecutors also alleged Satary paid millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks to physicians and patient recruiters.

Khalid Ahmed Satary (Photo: Federal Bureau of Investigation)

Satary was indicted in 2019 on multiple charges, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive illegal kickbacks and bribes, and money laundering conspiracy, Patel said.
After his arrest in 2019, Satary was released on bond under conditions that barred him from working in the healthcare industry. Prosecutors alleged he violated the conditions by conspiring with Houston-area laboratories to continue submitting fraudulent genetic testing claims to Medicare.
A federal judge issued an arrest warrant in November 2022 after authorities said Satary violated the terms of his pretrial release. He was recently apprehended overseas and is expected to face the pending federal charges in the U.S.
The FBI launched the "Most Wanted Fraudsters" list to spotlight fugitives accused of major financial and healthcare crimes. Authorities have credited the initiative with helping find suspects who had fled the U.S.
Patel previously said Emily Thai was recently added to the list. He said was indicted on charges including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the U.S., paying and receiving health care kickbacks, and payment of kickbacks involving a federal health care program.
Patel said a laboratory operated by Thai billed Medicare approximately $142 million for genetic testing services and received about $95 million in payments from the federal health insurance program. She remains at large.
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