In a significant development, prosecutors have revealed the indictment of four individuals in New Hampshire for their alleged participation in an extensive $3 billion healthcare fraud and money laundering scheme. This operation, stretching over a prolonged period, involved manipulations that shocked many in the legal and medical communities.
At the center of the allegations is 76-year-old Fructoso de Jesus Gomez Agudelo from Nashua, who faces charges of wire fraud. Authorities accuse him of misappropriating another individual’s identity, pointing to this act as a critical element of the fraudulent activities.
Adding to the gravity of the situation are charges against Kakha Bendeliani, 48, and Goga Danelia, 31, both hailing from the country of Georgia. The duo is accused of conspiring to commit money laundering by submitting deceptive claims to Medicare, contributing to the fraudulent machine churning out false financial gains.
Bendeliani and Danelia’s actions were reportedly in service of a Russian transnational criminal outfit. This organization’s activities, characterized by identity theft, are allegedly behind what officials declare as the largest healthcare fraud case revolving around identity theft in legal history.
The ripple effects of this scheme subsequently led to a large-scale investigation. Thousands, among them senior citizens and individuals with disabilities, reached out to Medicare with concerns. They were perplexed by the arrival of Explanation of Benefits (EOB) forms that detailed orders for durable medical equipment—items they neither requested nor received—prompting suspicions and scrutiny.
Surveillance showing Kakha Bendeliani at a financial institution during the conspiracy. Bendeliani and three other defendants – Fructoso de Jesus Gomez Agudelo, 76; Goga Danelia, 31; Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60 – are charged for their alleged roles in a billion dollar health care fraud operation. (Department of Justice)
The criminal network orchestrated the multi-billion-dollar healthcare fraud and money laundering scheme that sought to steal from Medicare, other government-sponsored health insurance programs and private health insurance companies, prosecutors said.
“These charges expose the staggering scale of fraud and money laundering that Transnational Criminal Organizations are willing to inflict on our health care system and the people of New Hampshire,” Erin Creegan, U.S. attorney for the District of New Hampshire, said of the charges against Danelia and Bendeliani.
Separately, Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60, of Massachusetts, was charged with diverting controlled prescription drugs while working as a pharmacist in New Hampshire. Investigators accused her of opening up drug capsules to steal the powdered medication inside.
Surveillance showing Goga Danelia at a financial institution during the alleged fraud operation. (Justice Department)
The indictments allege a wide variety of fraud.
Agudelo allegedly stole and assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen for over 20 years, using the stolen persona to apply for and steal over $500,000 in public assistance — including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, housing and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Meanwhile, Bendeliani allegedly acted as the “nominee owner” of a fraudulent medical equipment front company called Centennial Med Supply LLC. He allegedly allowed others to use his personal information to buy the business and set up bank accounts across six U.S. banks.
He then allegedly withdrew $12,589,770 in fraudulent Medicare payouts derived from a massive $3 billion urinary catheter billing scam. He used cashier’s checks to hide the money’s origin before wiring more than $12.5 million to overseas accounts.
Danelia was Bendeliani’s primary accomplice, the Justice Department said.
Since Bendeliani did not speak fluent English or drive, Danelia allegedly provided driving and English translation services to help him navigate U.S. banks.
Danelia also helped Bendeliani open accounts, withdraw the fraudulent cash via cashier’s checks and move it into secondary accounts. The funds were ultimately wired out of the U.S., authorities said.
While working as a temporary, per diem pharmacist at a pharmacy in New Hampshire in August 2024, Gerges-Maalouf also allegedly stole prescription pills and capsule medication powders meant for sick patients.
She kept the medication and ingested some of the stolen drugs while actively on duty, according to the DOJ. In total, she is accused of stealing 147 pills or capsules of controlled substances in a single month.
All four suspects face decades in prison if convicted.