California files felony charges against 21 people in alleged $267m hospice fraud scheme

Suspects allegedly bought 14 hospice companies and used stolen identities to fraudulently bill state health plan

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California authorities have filed felony charges against 21 people, who they say orchestrated a hospice fraud scheme that cost the state $267m, the state’s attorney general, Rob Bonta, announced on Thursday.

The suspects allegedly bought personal identifying information for non-California residents from the dark web and used the stolen identities to enroll in Medi-Cal, a state program that gives low-income residents free or low-cost health care.