ORLANDO, Fla. — U.S. prosecutors announced Thursday that they have charged more than 400 people with taking part in health care fraud and opioid scams that totaled $1.3 billion in false billing.
Attorney General Jeff Sessions called the collective action the "largest health care fraud takedown operation in American history" and said it indicates that some doctors, nurses and pharmacists "have chosen to violate their oaths and put greed ahead of their patients."
Composer and music producer Timothy Williams, of Orlando, said he knows firsthand the dangers of pill addiction and is glad investigators are taking action.
He battled drug addiction on and off for 12 years, starting with prescription pills when he was a teenager.
That was before so-called “pill mills” became mainstream.
“My life was just destroyed so it was time to make a change,” said Williams.
Florida started a database to crack down on pill trafficking, but federal investigators said a group of people still managed to get their hands on thousands of oxycodone pills a year in Florida, and regularly carried shipments to northern cities.
“These defendants have been charged, and they will face justice,” said Sessions.
Sessions announced Thursday that federal investigators have charged more than 412 defendants in healthcare fraud and opioid scams.
Among those charged are six Michigan doctors accused of a scheme to prescribe unnecessary opioids.
A Florida rehab facility is alleged to have recruited addicts with gift cards and visits to strip clubs, leading to $58 million in false treatments and tests.
Sessions said nearly 300 health care providers are being suspended or banned from participating in federal health care programs.
In Orlando, agents said one suspect, Jack Gehring, obtained more than 11,000 oxycodone pills since 2010.
One of his accused partners, Sean Grelecki, got more than 6,000 pills from 2010 to 2014.
Read: Attorney General Bondi joins Trump, Christie in pledge to combat nation's opioid addiction
Pharmacist Larry Howard, who works at Fertility Pharmacy, is accused of money laundering and paying and receiving illegal kickback for recruiting people to get drugs.
A local doctor, Nicole Bramwell, is also charged with getting illegal kickbacks in the same case.
In all, 10 people in Central Florida are facing charges.Williams, who now works to help addicts, said he knows it’s not a victimless crime.
“I’ve been to many funerals. I’ve dealt with suffering families. It’s not good. I’ve lost two of my best friends,” he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report
Cox Media Group
