A foreign national was arrested yesterday on criminal charges related to his orchestration of a scheme to defraud Medicare over half a billion dollars for unnecessary genetic testing.

Khalid Satary, 54, was charged by indictment in 2019 in the Eastern District of Louisiana as part of one of the largest health care fraud schemes ever charged by the department of justice . According to the indictment and court documents, from 2016 to 2019, Satary owned and operated several diagnostic testing laboratories throughout the United States that billed Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary genetic tests. Satary allegedly conspired with dozens of patient recruiters, telemarketing call centers, and telemedicine companies to utilize deceptive marketing campaigns and illegal kickbacks and bribes to generate cancer genetic test samples that reimbursed between $10,000 to $20,000 per sample. Through his laboratories, Satary billed Medicare for over $547 million. He also allegedly paid millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks and bribes to doctors and patient recruiters. In connection with the indictment, the government seized 16 bank accounts and restrained real estate from Satary.

“This defendant allegedly orchestrated a massive fraud scheme that preyed on thousands of elderly patients, deceiving them into undergoing expensive, medically unnecessary tests and fraudulently billing the government for more than half a billion dollars,” said Acting Attorney General Blanche. “Thanks to the outstanding work of our partners at the FBI, this defendant was brought back from overseas to face justice in the United States. Our message to fraudsters is clear: If you steal from American taxpayers and exploit vulnerable patients, we will find and prosecute you, no matter where you are.”

“This defendant is alleged to have engaged in a massive fraud scheme that preyed on elderly patients, duped them into taking expensive and unnecessary genetic tests, and billed the United States more than half a billion dollars,” said Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. “As today’s arrest shows, there is no safe haven for fraudsters who seek to exploit vulnerable Americans or our Nation’s critical health care programs.”

“The arrest of Khalid Ahmed Satary and return to the U.S. is the third Most Wanted Fraudster capture from this FBI and our partners in just 5 weeks – continuing the historic run of success for this new initiative,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “Satary was indicted in 2019 on charges on Health Care Fraud Conspiracy, allegedly stealing $547 million from 2016-2019 by fraudulently billing Medicare for expensive and medically unnecessary genetic tests, using deceptive marketing campaigns, illegal kickbacks, and bribes. This is another subject who exploited a program dedicated to helping our most vulnerable and instead stole for himself. Satary has been on the run since 2022, but we got him thanks to great work and coordination from the interagency and our overseas partners. 

This is just the latest example showing President Trump’s and Vice President Vance’s White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud will not be deterred in our mission to track down each and every fraudster who allegedly steals from American taxpayers. And it’s yet another high value target returned from overseas by this FBI - the 27th such transfer since June.”

“Medicare fraud targets vulnerable populations and defrauds taxpayers out of millions of dollars,” said United States Attorney David I. Courcelle for the Eastern District of Louisiana.  “In this case, the defendant allegedly targeted elderly, disabled and other vulnerable consumers, nationwide, luring them into a fraudulent scheme that generated massive taxpayer losses. Compounding these allegations, it is also alleged that the defendant failed to appear at a court hearing by fleeing the country.  Satary’s eventual apprehension demonstrates the Department of Justice’s unflagging commitment to protect taxpayers’ monies and prosecute those who violate the public trust.”