The CEO of a healthcare software firm has been convicted of orchestrating a scheme that defrauded taxpayers of nearly $1 billion, all while showcasing his and his spouse’s opulent lifestyle on social media.

On Wednesday, 42-year-old Brett Blackman was found guilty of fraud after he and his associates tricked Medicare patients into accepting fake prescriptions and unnecessary medical services between 2015 and 2020.

Blackman, owner and CEO of HealthSplash, along with his co-conspirators, aggressively targeted vast numbers of Medicare beneficiaries, persuading them to obtain medically unnecessary items such as orthotic braces, according to the Department of Justice.

The DOJ described the operation as a “cold, calculated, industrial-scale theft” that exploited over one billion dollars from American taxpayers, by coercing the sick and elderly into purchasing needless medical equipment.

Hailing from Kansas, Blackman utilized Power Mobility Doctor Rx, LLC—a firm acquired by HealthSplash in 2017—to fabricate fraudulent doctor’s orders for durable medical equipment and prescriptions.

Blackman was accused of orchestrating a ‘massive telemarketing scheme’ that utilized foreign call centers and spam mailers to target senior citizens and defraud the government health care benefits programs, according to Assistant Attorney General Colin McDonald of the Justice Department’s National Fraud Enforcement Division. 

‘The beneficiaries were targeted to provide their personally identifiable information and accept braces, pain creams, and other items through misleading mailers, television advertisements, and calls from offshore call centers,’ the indictment obtained by the Daily Mail said.  

The scheme, described by the DOJ as one of the most ‘egregious fraud schemes in Florida history,’ saw doctors paid to sign orders and prescriptions ‘without any meaningful interaction’ or no interaction with the patient.  

Brett Blackman, 42 seen with a romantic partner after splitting from his wife in 2017, was convicted of fraud on Wednesday after he and co-conspirators conned Medicare patients with bogus prescriptions and unnecessary medical expenditures

Blackman used Power Mobility Doctor Rx, LLC, which was acquired by HealthSplash in 2017, to generate false and fraudulent doctor’s orders for durable medical equipment and prescriptions

HealthSplash owner and CEO Blackman and his co-conspirators ‘aggressively targeted hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries to get them to accept medically unnecessary products including orthotic braces’

Blackman was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks and conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make false statement in connection with health care matters

Blackman, seen above, faces at least 20 years in prison. Blackman’s co-conspirator, 79-year-old Gary Cox (not pictured), was convicted in an earlier trial and sentenced to 15 years behind bars. 

‘Doctors signed these orders and prescriptions without regard to whether the equipment was medically necessary,’ the release stated, adding that, in certain cases, the doctor would falsely claim to have performed in-person exams on the patient. 

Blackman and his co-conspirators were accused of connecting pharmacies, DME suppliers and marketers with telemedicine companies that would accept illegal kickbacks and bribes ‘in exchange for signed doctors’ orders and took a cut for themselves in exchange for the referrals. 

‘The DME suppliers and pharmacies that were paying illegal kickbacks for these orders billed Medicare and other insurers for more than $1 billion,’ the DOJ continued. 

‘Medicare and the other insurers paid more than $450 million based on these claims. According to evidence presented at trial, Blackman and his co-conspirators concealed the scheme through sham contracts and by manipulating the doctors’ orders to avoid Medicare audits.’ 

‘Fraud of this magnitude drains vital resources and jeopardizes the care promised to our service members, retirees and their families,’ Special Agent in Charge Jason Sargenski of the Department of Defense Office of Inspector General’s Defense Criminal Investigative Service said. 

Blackman was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks and conspiracy to defraud the United States and to make false statement in connection with health care matters. 

His co-conspirator, 79-year-old Gary Cox, was convicted in an earlier trial and sentenced to 15 years behind bars. Blackman on the other hand faces at least 20 years in prison.

Cox was convicted of conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, three counts of health care fraud, conspiracy to pay and receive health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to defraud the United States and make false statements in connection with health care matters, according to the DOJ. 

Blackman is set to be sentenced on August 26, 2026, at 10am, according to online records.  

The Daily Mail reached out to the National Fraud Enforcement Division, the Office of the Attorney General, Blackman’s Defense Attorney Jenny Wilson and attempted to reach Blackman’s ex-wife for comment.

Students at the University of California, Santa Barbara, known for its vibrant social scene and ranked as the nation’s top party school, are feeling uneasy following a serious incident reported on campus over the weekend involving both rape and strangulation.

On Saturday night at 10 p.m., authorities circulated a campus-wide alert to inform students, faculty, and staff members about the concerning event.

The UCSB Police Department’s daily log reveals that the incident took place within the university’s residential area.

A snapshot of the campus features the Walkway and Storke Tower prominently. (Image via Getty Images)

The student newspaper, The Daily Nexus, has detailed that the alleged perpetrator and the victim had only met earlier at a party in the nearby Isla Vista area, having no prior acquaintance before the reported attack.

UCSB Police have not yet released any suspect information or further detail into the incident.

UC Santa Barbara has been ranked as the top party school in the U.S. for the last two years, according to Niche Best Colleges.

Over the last few years, the school has also seen an increase in crimes like sexual assault, weapons arrests and burglaries, among others on campus.

Students walk on the University of California, Santa Barbara campus in Santa Barbara, Calif., on June 17, 2025. (Kevin Koeppen Photography / Getty Images)

Recent data show the school saw more than 100 reported rape cases from the years 2022 to 2024.

Each year, campus police release their Annual Security and Fire Safety Report, which provides safety incident data from the prior year. In this instance, the most recent report covers data only through 2024, since the report came out this past October.

A view of the University of California, Santa Barbara campus across a lagoon in Santa Barbara, Calif., on June 17, 2025. (Getty Images)

Fox News Digital has reached out to UCSB for comment.

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WASHINGTON — The chief of the U.S. Border Patrol, which plays a crucial role in guarding the nation’s borders and has been increasingly involved in domestic immigration enforcement under the Trump administration, announced his resignation on Thursday.

Michael Banks revealed his decision during an interview with Fox News, with the Department of Homeland Security later confirming the news. His departure marks another change in the leadership team responsible for executing President Donald Trump’s stringent immigration policies, happening at a time when the administration seems to be adjusting its strategies.

“It’s just time,” Banks expressed in a Fox News article. “I believe I’ve steered the ship from being the least secure, chaotic border to becoming the most secure border this country has ever witnessed,” he stated.

Rodney Scott, the U.S. Customs and Border Protection commissioner, extended his gratitude to Banks for his contributions, acknowledging his efforts during one of the most challenging eras for border security.

The White House has not yet provided a comment regarding the resignation.

It was not immediately clear who will replace Banks. He led an agency at the forefront of Trump’s high-profile immigration enforcement efforts but kept a lower profile than some other officials such as Gregory Bovino, a now-retired commander who became a public face of the city operations.

CBP is one of the federal agencies that participated since last year in a series of immigration enforcement operations, carried out primarily in cities governed by Democrats -an effort that triggered a spike in arrests and led to the fatal shooting of two U.S. citizens in Minneapolis this year at the hands of federal immigration officers.

Banks’ resignation takes place two months after Markwayne Mullin, a former Republican senator from Oklahoma, became homeland security secretary. DHS oversees CBP and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, also known as ICE.

Banks is stepping down at the same time that ICE is also going through a leadership transition. Todd Lyons, the acting ICE director, is leaving later this month and will be replaced by David Venturella, who worked for years for private contractors before returning to government service.

CBP was established in 2003 and handles customs, immigration, and agricultural regulations to secure U.S. borders.

Banks returned to the Border Patrol last year after a long agency career that had never landed him in its senior ranks. His star had risen as border czar to Gov. Greg Abbott, R-Texas, during a period when illegal crossings reached record highs and the state launched a multibillion-dollar enforcement surge that led to turf battles with the Biden administration.

Banks kept a relatively low public profile as arrests for illegal crossings that have plunged to their lowest levels since the mid-1960s, a trend that began toward the end of that Democratic administration.

Banks did not appear publicly at the Border Security Expo this month in Phoenix, an annual conference at which government officials update contractors on the state of the border. Scott, who was Banks’ supervisor, is a close ally of Trump border czar Tom Homan and has acted more as the agency’s public face.

In the interview with Fox News, Banks said that after 37 years, “it’s time to enjoy the family and life.”

In a sun-drenched and arid landscape that today is part of Thailand, a colossal herbivore roamed along a winding river approximately 113 million years ago. With a length approaching 90 feet (27 meters), this giant fed on the treetops, its enormous size rendering it nearly invincible to predators.

Identified as Nagatitan chaiyaphumensis, it holds the title of the largest-known dinosaur discovered in Southeast Asia.

Scientists have uncovered the skeletal remains of Nagatitan, a member of the sauropods—a group of dinosaurs distinguished by their elongated necks and tails, diminutive heads, and sturdy, pillar-like legs.

The remains of this dinosaur from the Cretaceous Period were initially found by a local resident in Thailand’s northeastern Chaiyaphum province.

Over time, researchers meticulously excavated bones from its spine, ribs, pelvis, and limbs, including an impressive front leg bone—the humerus—measuring 5.8 feet (1.78 meters) in length.

Based on the dimensions of its humerus and femur, the corresponding hind leg bone, the researchers estimated Nagatitan’s body mass at 25 to 28 tons.

Its head and teeth were not among the fossils recovered, but the researchers have a good idea of its feeding preferences based on other sauropods.

“Nagatitan was probably a bulk browser that focused on consuming high volumes of vegetation that required little to no chewing such as conifers and possibly seed ferns,” said Thitiwoot Sethapanichsakul, a University College London doctoral student in paleontology and lead author of the research published on Thursday in the journal Scientific Reports.

The climate was probably subtropical, with some forests, but also savanna-like and shrubland habitats. Nagatitan lived alongside various other dinosaurs as well as flying reptiles called pterosaurs.

The rivers were teeming with crocodiles and fish including freshwater sharks.

The ecosystem’s largest predator was a relative of the giant African meat-eating dinosaur Carcharodontosaurus, probably about 26 feet (8 meters) long and around 3.5 tons.

“At that size, it was dwarfed by Nagatitan. At full size, Nagatitan likely had very little to fear in terms of predation,” Sethapanichsakul said.

Predators probably avoided attacking healthy adults of any large sauropod species because of the danger of being squashed. But they may have targeted old or sick adults or vulnerable babies.

“Indeed, sauropods are known to have grown very quickly after hatching, and this probably relates to the dangers of predation. The sooner sauropods could become large, the safer they were because they would have been more difficult to tackle,” University College London paleontologist and study co-author Paul Upchurch said.

Sauropods included the largest land animals in Earth’s history.

Nagatitan was huge by any standard, but not on the scale of some South American sauropods such as Argentinosaurus and Patagotitan that topped 100 feet (30 meters) long.

Nagatitan’s name references Naga, a serpent-like being in some Asian religious traditions that is prominently depicted in various Thai temples.

In all, there are 14 named dinosaurs known from Thailand.

The names of several large sauropods include the word titan.

Sethapanichsakul said it might be appropriate to call Nagatitan Southeast Asia’s last “titan” because the region became a shallow sea later in the Cretaceous, meaning no more sauropods would live there.

Nagatitan provides insight into sauropod diversity in the region.

Not many sauropods are known from Southeast Asia, and Nagatitan is the largest and the geologically youngest of them.

Nagatitan belonged to a subgroup of sauropods that possessed bones with lots of internal air sacs and thin walls, traits that lightened their skeletons.

This group originated around 140 million years ago, achieved a global distribution and, around 90 million years ago, became the only sauropods left worldwide, thriving until the dinosaur age ended 66 million years ago with an asteroid impact.

Nagatitan lived at a time when Earth’s atmospheric carbon dioxide levels were climbing, corresponding to high global temperatures.

“Sauropods seem to have become particularly large at this time, with gigantic forms living in South America, China, probably North Africa, and now with Nagatitan a fairly large one in Southeast Asia,” Upchurch said.

“This possible relationship between large body size and high climatic temperatures is not fully understood, but it’s likely that the high temperatures had an impact on the plant fodder that was important to sauropods, which were very large-bodied herbivores. Nagatitan gives a glimpse of the period leading up to the eventual peak in body size and temperatures about 10 to 15 million years later,” Upchurch said.

In a surprising political development, Secretary of State Marco Rubio has shed light on the private conversations held between Chinese President Xi Jinping and U.S. President Donald Trump. Rubio’s visit to China comes under extraordinary circumstances, as Beijing has allowed his entry despite a longstanding sanction against him.

This week marks Rubio’s arrival in China, a country that had imposed strict sanctions on him for nearly six years. The sanctions were initially instated in 2020, largely due to Rubio’s outspoken criticism of China’s human rights practices—a stance that earned him the reputation of a ‘China hawk.’ Many speculated that he would be considered ‘persona non grata’ during President Trump’s diplomatic mission.

However, in a surprising diplomatic maneuver, Chinese authorities have indicated that the sanctions would not impede Rubio’s visit. They provided a technical loophole, clarifying that these restrictions were associated with his actions as a U.S. Senator rather than his current duties as Secretary of State. This clarification helped to avoid what could have been a significant diplomatic blunder.

The diplomatic engagement between Trump and Xi was marked by a grand ceremonial reception. The day kicked off with a lavish welcome that included a red carpet, an impressive military honor guard, a lively marching band, and the heartwarming sight of hundreds of schoolchildren enthusiastically waving both American and Chinese flags.

Trump and Xi’s first day began with an elaborate welcome ceremony featuring a red carpet, military honor guards, a marching band playing and hundreds of schoolchildren waving American and Chinese flags.

The leaders then retreated into the Great Hall of the People for their first formal round of bilateral meetings lasting around two hours where they discussed things ranging from the war in the Middle East to trade to Taiwan. 

The status of Taiwan is a perennial flashpoint in the two nations’ relationship.

During the closed-door talks, Xi issued a formal warning to Trump, stating that ongoing tensions regarding Taiwan have the potential to jeopardize the entire US-China relationship.

When asked what the administration’s stance is currently on Taiwan and what was discussed, Rubio kept the answer safe.

‘Our policies on that have not changed,’ Rubio told NBC News. ‘It’s been pretty consistent across multiple presidential administrations, and remains consistent now.’

Xi has consistently pledged to bring Taiwan under Chinese control, leaving military action on the table. But Rubio warned that any attempt to do so by force would be a ‘terrible mistake.’

‘There would be repercussions for that, globally, not just in the United States,’ he said. ‘And we kind of leave it there.’

Trump described talks as ‘extremely positive’ even inviting Xi to the US later this year. 

Rubio confirmed in an interview with NBC News that while the two leaders addressed the looming Iran crisis while meeting, the US is ultimately not looking for a helping hand from the Communist regime.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio pulled back the curtain on private discussions between Chinese President Xi Jinping and President Donald Trump , speaking to NBC News in an interview on Thursday

Chinese officials signaled that the standing sanctions would not bar Rubio from the trip, offering a technical loophole to avoid a diplomatic disaster

Rubio, a long-time hawk who was blacklisted by the Communist regime in 2020 for his scathing criticism of China’s human rights record, was widely expected to be a ‘persona non grata’ during President Trump’s visit

Trump is greeted by China’s Vice President Han Zheng as he arrives on Air Force One, Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Beijing Capital International Airport in Beijing, as Eric and Lara Trump, Elon Musk, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, follow

Rubio looks on as US President Donald Trump meets with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People

Their discussion largely focused on the ongoing war with Iran. 

‘The Chinese side said they are not in favor of militarizing the Straits of Hormuz, and they’re not in favor of a tolling system, and that’s our position,’ Rubio told the reporter after Trump and Xi held over two hours’ worth of talks.

The President was expected to use his summit with Xi to look for a breakthrough with the Iran war.

Right now, the stakes couldn’t be higher: Iran’s stranglehold on the Strait of Hormuz has effectively paralyzed global energy shipping, sending gas prices into a vertical climb and hitting families hard at the pump.

Trump gave China credit – saying they helped convince Iran to negotiate with the US for a ceasefire last month.

‘We are not immune to global oil prices at some point, because we do buy from the global market, but other countries around the world are paying a much higher price,’ Rubio said. ‘They’ve got to get involved in this as well.’

Rubio emphasized that ‘Trump didn’t ask him for anything,’ referencing Xi.

‘We’re not asking for China’s help. We don’t need their help,’ said Rubio.

The President’s trip to China was postposted by six weeks – due to the involvement in the Iran war. China has hit back on the US and Israeli strikes that started late February and requested a solution that would end the military offensive.

There was, however, an area of positive overlap in the war. Rubio said that the two leaders strongly agreed that Iran should never develop a nuclear weapon.

A Chinese government report on the meeting between President Trump and President Xi Jinping omitted any direct reference to Iran.

According to the state-run news agency Xinhua, the official readout noted only that the leaders ‘exchanged views on major international and regional issues including the Middle East situation.’

Trump looks on next to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, Jensen Huang, Founder, President and CEO of Nvidia, Tesla CEO Elon Musk, Apple CEO Tim Cook and others, during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People

Xi said in his speech that both countries can ‘help each other succeed’ and ‘advance the well-being of the whole world’

President Donald Trump participates in a welcome ceremony with China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People, Thursday, May 14, 2026, in Beijing

China’s President Xi Jinping shakes hands with US President Donald Trump at a state banquet at the Great Hall of the People 

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth seen laughing while seated at the state banquet for US President Donald Trump and China’s President Xi Jinping at the Great Hall of the People 

There were also other priorities on the President’s mind, Rubio explained.  

Jimmy Lai, an outspoken critic of the Communist Party, has been identified by China as the ‘mastermind’ behind the pro-democracy protests that occurred in Hong Kong throughout 2019. 

During his interview with NBC News, Secretary of State Marco Rubio confirmed that the President advocated for Lai’s release during the summit.

‘The President always raises that case and a couple others, and obviously we’ll hope to get a positive response from that,’ Rubio said.

When asked if the US would provide a home for Lai if he were freed by Chinese officials, Rubio did not offer a direct answer but expressed flexibility regarding the terms of his release.

‘We’d be open to any arrangement that would work for them, as long as he’s given his freedom,’ Rubio said.

The FBI has announced a substantial reward of $200,000 for any information that could lead to the capture and successful prosecution of Monica Witt. This former U.S. service member and counterintelligence agent was indicted by a federal grand jury in the District of Columbia back in February 2019. The charges against her are serious, involving the transmission of national defense secrets to the Iranian government, an act considered espionage.

Monica Witt’s career with the Air Force spans over a decade, during which she served as an intelligence specialist and a special agent for the Air Force Office of Special Investigations. Her tenure in the military lasted from 1997 to 2008. Following her active duty, Witt continued to work closely with government secrets as a contractor until 2010, as detailed in a statement from the FBI Washington Field Office.

Throughout her time in service and as a contractor, Witt was entrusted with sensitive information, including secret and top-secret material related to foreign intelligence and counterintelligence operations. This access also included the identities of undercover personnel within the U.S. Intelligence Community, information that is highly classified and critical to national security.

According to the indictment, in a betrayal of her country, Witt allegedly defected to Iran in 2013. It is claimed that she handed over vital information to the Iranian government, thereby jeopardizing U.S. national defense information and intelligence programs.

The FBI is actively seeking any assistance from the public to locate Witt, offering a significant reward for leads that could help bring her to justice.

She allegedly intentionally provided information endangering U.S. personnel and their families stationed abroad, and conducted research on behalf of the Iranian regime to allow them to target her former colleagues in the U.S. government.

The FBI said Witt’s defection to Iran has benefitted the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which has elements responsible for intelligence collection, unconventional warfare and providing direct support to multiple terrorist organizations targeting U.S. citizens and interests.

Monica Witt is wanted by the FBI in relation to espionage charges. (FBI)

While Witt has been indicted for her alleged crimes, she remains at large. She is known to speak Farsi and reside in Iran, and may be using aliases, including Fatemah Zahra or Narges Witt.

The FBI said it is continuing to actively work to find Witt and bring her to justice.

“Monica Witt allegedly betrayed her oath to the Constitution more than a decade ago by defecting to Iran and providing the Iranian regime National Defense Information and likely continues to support their nefarious activities,” said Daniel Wierzbicki, special agent in charge of the FBI Washington Field Office’s Counterintelligence and Cyber Division.

Monica Witt is believed to be living in Iran, according to FBI officials. (FBI)

“The FBI has not forgotten and believes that during this critical moment in Iran’s history, there is someone who knows something about her whereabouts,” Wierzbicki continued. “The FBI wants to hear from you so you can help us apprehend Witt and bring her to justice.”

Anyone with information about Witt is asked to contact the FBI at 1-800-CALL-FBI. Tips can also be shared with local FBI offices, the nearest American embassy or consulate, or submitted via tips.fbi.gov.