The Justice Department on Thursday announced a statewide crackdown on fraud in Ohio and unsealed indictments against 14 people accused of stealing more than $50 million in government funds.
The charges were unveiled by acting Attorney General Todd Blanche in a news conference at the Defense Supply Center Columbus alongside FBI Director Kash Patel and other top officials. The remarks come a day after the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee held a task force hearing to address fraud allegations in the state.
“Ohio is facing some of the most significant fraud schemes in the country,” Blanche said. “To meet this crisis, our response has been and will continue to be aggressive, comprehensive, and we will not stop until we fix this problem.”
The department unsealed charges against 14 defendants, including state employees, accused of participating in Medicaid schemes that defrauded taxpayers. The alleged schemes involved Medicaid-funded home health care and autism services intended for vulnerable populations, including children.
Patel said investigators seized seven bank accounts totaling approximately $600,000 and 14 vehicles worth millions of dollars that were allegedly purchased with money earned from the schemes.
Patel also unveiled a new FBI “Top 10 Most Wanted Fraudsters” list in line with the Trump administration’s crackdown on scammers, which included installing the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud led by Vice President Vance.
In a statement, Patel said the list would represent “some of the alleged worst of the worst who stole millions in taxpayer money — allowing federal law enforcement to mobilize the full weight of law enforcement to bring these individuals and more to justice.”
The Trump administration also announced at the Thursday conference that it is cutting off $3 million in federal funding to Hawaii’s Medicaid fraud control unit after it failed to bring a single indictment or conviction in years.
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