Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Two South Florida men, a healthcare executive and a telemarketing company owner, have been sentenced to federal prison for their roles in a scheme that resulted in the submission of approximately $35 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare Advantage plans for medically unnecessary durable medical equipment, including back, knee, shoulder, and ankle braces.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Access DX Laboratory (“Access DX”), its former CEO Michael Stewart, and Florida businessman Harold Shatz will pay a combined total of $36.4 million to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act by paying kickbacks and billing Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary genetic testing.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Access DX Laboratory, located in Houston, Texas, its former CEO Michael Stewart, and Florida businessman Harold Shatz, have each entered into settlements and will pay a combined total of $36.4 million to the United States to resolve allegations that they violated the False Claims Act (FCA) by paying kickbacks and billing Medicare and Medicaid for medically unnecessary genetic testing.
The United States alleged that, from January 2018 through January 2020, Access DX, Stewart, and Shatz paid kickbacks to marketers in return for referrals of patients for genetic testing, unbundled billing codes for genetic testing, paid telemedicine providers for false and fraudulent doctors’ orders, and submitted and caused the submission of false claims for genetic testing.
“Healthcare referrals must reflect the best decision for patients, not the influence of kickbacks,” said Assistant Attorney General Brett A. Shumate of the Justice Department’s Civil Division. “This resolution demonstrates the Department’s commitment to hold accountable both corporations and individuals who profit from improper kickback arrangements and who burden federal healthcare programs with claims for medically unnecessary services.”
“This settlement sends a clear message that we will not tolerate fraudulent schemes that waste taxpayer dollars and undermine trust in our medical system,” said U.S. Attorney Theodore S. Hertzberg for the Northern District of Georgia. “We will aggressively pursue any provider or entity that seeks to exploit federal programs through excessive billing and illegal kickbacks.”
“Kickbacks and medically unnecessary genetic testing schemes not only drain taxpayer-funded federal health care programs, but undermine the integrity of our U.S. health care system and drive up health care costs for all of us,” said Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Miranda L. Bennett of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). “HHS OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to aggressively pursue health care fraud and protect Medicare, Medicaid, and the people who rely on them.”
In connection with its settlement, Access DX entered into a five-year Corporate Integrity Agreement (CIA) with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG). The CIA requires Access DX to implement auditing and accountability provisions, including implementation of a robust compliance program, training and education requirements, and a review of arrangements with referral sources.
On June 24, Stewart agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. United States v. Stewart, Case No. 4:22-cr-328 (S.D. Tex.). On Oct. 15, 2025, Shatz agreed to plead guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks in violation of 18 U.S.C. § 371. United States v. Shatz, No. 4:24-cr-330 (S.D. Tex.). Both men entered into civil FCA settlements at the time of their pleas.
The civil settlements include the resolution of claims brought under the qui tam or whistleblower provisions of the False Claims Act by Douglas Green, president of a Massachusetts marketing company hired to market genetic testing to Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries. Under those provisions, a private party can file an action on behalf of the United States and receive a portion of any recovery. The qui tam case is captioned U.S. ex rel. Green v. Access DX Lab LLC, et al., No. 1:19-cv-2845 (N.D. Ga.). The settlements provide for the whistleblower to receive a $7.2 million share of the total settlement amount.
The resolution obtained in this matter was the result of a coordinated effort between the Justice Department’s Civil Division, Commercial Litigation Branch, Fraud Section, and the United States Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia, with assistance from HHS-OIG.
The matter was handled by Fraud Section Senior Litigation Counsel Laurie A. Oberembt of the Justice Department’s Civil Division and Assistant U.S. Attorney Neeli Ben-David for the Northern District of Georgia.
The investigation and resolution of this matter illustrate the government’s emphasis on combating healthcare fraud. One of the most powerful tools in this effort is the False Claims Act. Tips and complaints from all sources about potential fraud, waste, abuse, and mismanagement, can be reported to the Department of Health and Human Services at 800-HHS-TIPS (800-447-8477).
This year the Administration launched the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division to enhance the Administration’s war on fraud, waste, and abuse in federal programs. When unscrupulous actors exploit these programs for their own financial gain, they defraud the government, harm the people these programs are designed to aid and protect, and undermine American businesses that play by the rules. The Civil Division’s FCA enforcement plays a critical role in combatting such fraudulent schemes, recovering billions of dollars for the American taxpayers, and holding wrongdoers accountable. FCA matters will continue to be on the forefront of the battle against fraud, and the Civil Division’s FCA work will support and advance the mission of the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud and the National Fraud Enforcement Division.
Except to the extent admitted by Stewart and Shatz in their plea agreements, the claims resolved by the settlement are allegations only and there has been no determination of liability.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
The Justice Department has filed the first-ever case in the U.S. Alien Terrorist Removal Court (ATRC), seeking to remove Nazira Haji Zada, 47, residing in Fort Worth, Texas. Zada, the matriarch of an alien Afghan family, is being removed for her role in a plot to commit an ISIS-inspired mass shooting on Election Day in 2024 for which her son, Abdullah Haji Zada, and son-in-law, Nasir Ahmad Tawhedi, were previously arrested and convicted. The application to remove Nazira Haji Zada was filed on July 15. Zada was arrested earlier this week and will appear before the ATRC’s Chief Judge Joan N. Ericksen in Washington, D.C. on Thursday, July 30, at 11:00 a.m.
“Congress created the Alien Terrorist Removal Court three decades ago to remove from the United States alien terrorists who never should have been here in the first place,” said Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche. “The allegations in this case show the matriarch of an ISIS-sympathizing family aiding in a plot to launch a mass casualty attack on American voters on Election Day. The Department’s application in this court makes clear that terrorists have no place in the United States of America.”
“This is a historic step asking this court for the first time to remove an individual from the United States who supported a plot by ISIS-sympathizing family members to commit an act of terrorism in America,” said FBI Director Kash Patel. “No one should be allowed to come into our country and then betray it. The FBI and our Justice Department partners will not hesitate to use all available resources to protect the American people.”
“The ATRC embodies the recognition that the government should not have to choose between allowing a dangerous alien to remain in the United States and disclosing sensitive classified information in a traditional removal proceeding,” said Assistant Attorney General for National Security John A. Eisenberg. “We will use all the tools at our disposal, including this court, to remove foreign nationals who betray our values and exploit our goodwill by supporting ISIS and terrorist plots.”
Tawhedi and Abdullah Haji Zada were arrested on Oct. 7, 2024, after purchasing the firearms and ammunition to be used in the Election Day attack from an undercover FBI employee. Nazira’s son Abdullah, who was 17 at the time of his arrest, entered his guilty plea as an adult and was sentenced to 15 years in prison. As part of the plea agreement, Abdullah stipulated to the entry of a judicial order of removal from the United States to Afghanistan following his term of incarceration. Abdullah acknowledged that the order of removal would terminate his lawful permanent resident status. Abdullah also waived his right to appeal the conviction except in limited circumstances or seek any form of appeal or relief from his removal and deportation, including but not limited to, seeking asylum.
Tawhedi, 28, pled guilty on June 13, 2025 to two terrorism-related offenses: conspiring and attempting to provide material support and resources to the Islamic State of Iraq and al-Sham (ISIS), a designated foreign terrorist organization, and receiving, attempting to receive, and conspiring to receive firearms and ammunition in furtherance of a federal crime of terrorism, and is awaiting sentencing.
According to court documents, Tawhedi admitted that between June 2024 and October 2024, he conspired with at least one other individual to purchase two AK-47 rifles, 500 rounds of ammunition, and 10 magazines, with the intent to carry out a mass-casualty attack on or around Election Day, Nov. 5, 2024, on behalf of ISIS. According to a criminal complaint affidavit filed in the case, Tawhedi communicated with an ISIS facilitator about his plan to purchase firearms for use in the terror plot, including asking the individual whether 500 rounds of ammunition would be sufficient.
According to the criminal complaint, to raise funds for their attack, in 2024, the family also started selling off their property, including furniture, computers, a mobile phone, and the family’s two vehicles. Nazia signed a contract to sell the family house. The family also purchased one-way airfare for Nazira to take the children (but not Abdullah and Tawhedi) to Kabul, Afghanistan shortly before the planned Election Day shooting.
The ATRC is a specialized federal court, which Congress established in 1996. The court has jurisdiction to remove alien terrorists swiftly from the United States, when the government establishes by a preponderance of the evidence that an alien is a terrorist. See Title Eight, United States Code, Sections 1227(a)(4)(B), 1531(1), and 1534(g). The Court is comprised of U.S. federal district court judges confirmed to the judiciary pursuant to Article III of the United States Constitution, and are then appointed to the ATRC by the Chief Justice of the United States. See Title 8, United States Code, Sections 1531 to 1537.
The court allows the government to use classified information, where disclosing that information to the public would pose risks to national security. The statutory provisions that establish the court provide paid counsel to the aliens if necessary and also permit either party to appeal to the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit.
This removal proceeding reflects the coordinated efforts of multiple federal agencies, including the Department of Justice’s National Security Division, the FBI, and the U.S. Marshals Service, as well as the Department of Homeland Security’s Immigration and Customs Enforcement, Homeland Security Investigations and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
Acting Deputy Assistant Attorney General Hayden O’Byrne of the National Security Division is leading the litigation, with assistance from Deputy Chief Larry Schneider and Trial Attorneys Anna Donnell and Evan Schultz.
For more information on the ATRC and to view court documents visit: https://www.atrc.uscourts.gov/
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tallahassee, Florida – Lekishaann Huggins, 45, of Tallahassee, Florida, was indicted by a federal grand jury charging her with 39 counts of bank fraud, one count of aggravated identity theft, four counts of spending money laundering, and two counts of filing a false tax return.
Source: United States Navy
WASHINGTON – Today, the Department of War expanded its undersea warfighting capabilities by awarding a five-ship contract modification to General Dynamics Electric Boat (GDEB) for the construction of five Columbia Class ballistic missile submarines (SSBNs), a nine-ship contract to GDEB for the construction of Fiscal Year (FY) 2025 through FY 2029 Virginia Class submarines, and previously awarded shipyard productivity efforts to the two companies. These awards represent a historic investment in maritime modernization and supremacy, with a combined total value of $76.6B.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
LAS VEGAS – A Las Vegas man was sentenced today by United States Chief Judge Andrew P. Gordon to nine months in prison to be followed by three years of supervised release for pointing a high-power laser at a Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department helicopter as it was responding to a call in 2025. The government requested a sentence of 21 months’ imprisonment.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
SAN DIEGO – A federal grand jury returned an indictment today charging Matthew Ray Calas of Spring Valley with distributing a powerful synthetic opioid—N-Pyrrolidino Protonitazene—that resulted in the death of a 67-year-old San Diego resident. According to court records, Calas advertised drugs for sale on Craigslist using coded language. In text messages with the victim, Calas offered to sell the victim “red devil nitazene,” a smokeable crystal powder. The victim was found on the floor holding drug paraphernalia, suggesting he died shortly after ingesting the substance. Three months later, Calas sold more of the “Red Devil” to an undercover law enforcement officer.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
Tacoma – A 44-year-old Puyallup resident was sentenced today in U.S. District Court in Tacoma for his role as a significant distributor of narcotics for a Drug Trafficking Organization tied to white prison gangs, announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd.
Source: United States Department of Justice Criminal Division
A Cuban National was sentenced today to 30 months in prison for his role in an international alien smuggling, asylum fraud, and money laundering conspiracy.
“Ventura-Castro was part of a complex conspiracy responsible for smuggling aliens into the United States on a massive scale,” said Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division. “The defendant and others recruited aliens using social media, charged thousands of dollars to bring them into the country illegally, and helped them get immigration benefits to which they were not entitled.”
“Enforcing our nation’s immigration laws is essential to maintaining safe and secure borders,” said U.S. Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe for the Middle District of Florida. “The conspirators in this case used sophisticated methods to violate those laws and engaged in an elaborate human smuggling scheme, for profit. The diligence demonstrated by our law enforcement partners in this case ensured that this defendant was brought to justice.”
“The exploitation of vulnerable people through these types of intricate schemes are egregious crimes that threaten our national security and exploit the integrity of our immigration system,” said Acting Special Agent in Charge Nicholas Ingegno of U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement Homeland Security Investigations (HSI) Tampa. “They knowingly orchestrated a sophisticated scheme to recruit and smuggle thousands of Cuban nationals into the United States, and unlawfully obtained immigration benefits through fraudulent applications, deliberate misrepresentations, and illicit financial transactions. Such calculated criminal conduct undermines the integrity of our immigration system and will be met with the full force of the law.”
“Today’s sentencing is evidence of our all-out war on immigration fraud,” said Director Joseph Edlow of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services. “U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services is proud to have worked with our law enforcement partners to dismantle this criminal enterprise, which churned out thousands of fake asylum claims and flooded the country with illegal aliens. As Ventura-Castro and his criminal associates are being brought to justice, we will continue our mission protecting Americans from those who seek to exploit our laws and endanger our communities.”
According to court documents, Erik Ventura-Castro, 24, of Hialeah, Florida, between January of 2021 and June of 2025, conspired with others to operate an alien smuggling organization (ASO) which encouraged or induced thousands of Cuban aliens to enter the United States through the southern border and used fraudulent Electronic System for Travel Authorization (ESTA) and visa waivers. The defendants advertised their smuggling services and bogus visa services across multiple social media platforms to solicit Cuban nationals and other aliens to attempt to illegally enter the United States and fraudulently obtain lawful status in the United States. The alien smuggling organization (ASO) advertised services included assisting Cubans with making false claims of European citizenship to enter the United States on a European tourist visa waiver or ESTA and filing hundreds of fraudulent ESTA applications with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), using fake addresses and fabricated documents. To obtain admission under the ESTAs, the defendants made false representations that the applicants had not been in Cuba since 2011. The defendants knew that Cubans are not eligible for the ESTA program, and that the applicants were actually in Cuba at the time the ESTA applications were submitted.
Passports and Boarding Passes obtained as part of the scheme
Social media account advertising ASO services
Social media account using photo from human smuggling event to advertise ASO services
Ventura-Castro furthered the conspiracy by advertising trips for aliens to travel from Cuba to the United States through third-party countries and assisting the aliens in obtaining fraudulent ESTAs. The defendant submitted over 40 electronic payments to U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) for fraudulent ESTA applications. As part of the conspiracy, aliens were charged between $1,500 and $40,000 for smuggling services. Co-conspirators sometimes even chartered private planes to move groups of aliens. Ventura-Castro and co-defendants conspired with each other to regularly move funds to companies operating outside of the United States and to other places outside the United States, such as by purchasing international flights for aliens to travel into the United States. Ventura-Castro transmitted over $97,000 from the United States to the Cayman Islands, Colombia and Mexico to purchase flights for aliens to unlawfully enter the United States.
Ventura-Castro pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit alien smuggling for financial gain and conspiracy to launder monetary instruments on May 7.
Twelve individuals were charged in a superseding indictment for their roles in the conspiracy. Defendants Liannys Yaiselys Vega-Perez, 31, Miguel Alejandro Martinez Vasconcelos, 31, Layra Libertad Treto Santos, 30, Emanuel Martinez Gonzalez, 29, and Walbis Pozo-Dutel, 31, have all pleaded guilty and are awaiting sentencing. Defendants Lazaro Alain Cabrera-Rodriguez, Luis Emmanuel Escalona-Marrero, and Gisleivy Peralta Consuegra are awaiting trial scheduled to begin on Sept. 21.
The investigation and superseding indictment were supported and prosecuted by Joint Task Force Alpha (JTFA), the Department’s lead effort in combating high-impact human smuggling and trafficking committed by cartels and Transnational Criminal Organizations (TCOs). A highly successful partnership between the Department of Justice and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), JTFA investigates and prosecutes human smuggling and trafficking and related immigration crimes that impact public safety and border security. JTFA’s mission is to target the leaders and organizers of Cartels and TCOs involved in human smuggling and trafficking throughout the Americas. The Attorney General has elevated and expanded JTFA to target the most prolific and dangerous human smuggling and trafficking groups operating not only in Mexico and the Northern Triangle countries of Guatemala, El Salvador, and Honduras, but also in Canada, the Caribbean and the maritime border, and elsewhere. Led by the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and supported by the Money Laundering, Narcotics and Forfeiture Section, the Office of International Affairs, and the Office of Enforcement Operations, among others, JTFA has dedicated Assistant U.S. Attorneys from the Southern District of California; District of Arizona; District of New Mexico; Western and Southern Districts of Texas; Southern District of Florida; Northern District of New York; and District of Vermont. JTFA also partners with other USAOs throughout the country and supports high-priority cases in any district. All JTFA cases rely on substantial law enforcement resources from DHS, including HSI and CBP U.S. Border Patrol and Office of Field Operations, as well as FBI and other law enforcement agencies. To date, JTFA’s work has resulted in more than 465 domestic and international arrests of leaders, organizers, and significant facilitators of alien smuggling and/or trafficking; more than 424 U.S. convictions; and more than 368 significant jail sentences imposed, and forfeitures of substantial assets.
HSI Tampa, U.S. Border Patrol Miami Sector, and USCIS’s’ Fraud Detection and National Security led U.S. investigative efforts, with substantial assistance from HSI’s Human Smuggling Unit in Washington, D.C. and CBP’s National Targeting Center International Interdiction Task Force. Authorities in the Cayman Islands provided valuable assistance.
Trial Attorney Amanda Brown of the Criminal Division’s Human Rights and Special Prosecutions Section and Assistant U.S. Attorney Courtney Derry for the Middle District of Florida are prosecuting the case.