A foreign national has been arrested on criminal charges for allegedly orchestrating a scheme to defraud Medicare of more than half a billion dollars through unnecessary genetic testing, according to FBI Director Kash Patel on Tuesday.
The arrest of Khalid Ahmed Satary marks the third "Most Wanted Fraudster" capture from the FBI and its law enforcement partners in just five weeks.
According to the FBI, regional partners in the Middle East apprehended the 54-year-old fugitive on July 20 as he was carrying a Mexican passport under a false identity.
The fugitive was then transferred into U.S. custody.
In 2019, Satary was indicted on charges of conspiracy to commit health care fraud in one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever charged by the Department of Justice (DOJ).
He allegedly billed Medicare for over $547 million between 2016 and 2019 by fraudulently charging for expensive and unnecessary genetic tests. Satary allegedly conspired with dozens of patient recruiters, telemarketing call centers, and telemedicine companies to utilize deceptive marketing campaigns, illegal kickbacks, and bribes to generate cancer genetic test samples that were reimbursed between $10,000 and $20,000 per sample.
Satary also allegedly paid millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks and bribes to doctors and patient recruiters.
After he was indicted, Satary was released on bond, despite the government’s objection, and barred from working in healthcare.
But he continued the fraud, prosecutors said, conspiring with laboratories in the Houston area to submit fraudulent genetic testing claims to Medicare.
After failing to appear in court, a federal arrest warrant was issued in December 2022, and Satary allegedly fled the country and has been on the run since.
“This is another subject who exploited a program dedicated to helping our most vulnerable and instead stole for himself,” Patel added.
The FBI director said the arrest shows that the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, won't stop pursuing fraudsters accused of stealing from American taxpayers.
Patel pointed out that it also represents the FBI's 27th high-value international fugitive returned to U.S. custody since June.
The FBI first announced the creation of the Most Wanted Fraudsters List on June 4. Satary was added to the list on June 23, and he was apprehended less than a month later.