The Department of Justice has filed criminal charges against 138 defendants — including 42 doctors, nurses, and other licensed medical professionals — for their alleged participation in numerous health care fraud schemes resulting in nearly $1.4 billion in alleged losses, according to the DOJ Office of Public Affairs.
Investigators found that a majority of the fraud cases, tallied at $1.1 billion, were committed using telemedicine, the practice of using technology to deliver care at a distance, which has sky-rocketed in popularity and possibility during the pandemic.