Federal prosecutors have charged four individuals in connection with a $3 billion healthcare fraud and money laundering operation that authorities say was linked to a Russian transnational criminal organization. The Justice Department announced the indictments this week, describing the underlying scheme as the largest identity theft-driven healthcare fraud ever prosecuted. All four defendants face the prospect of decades in prison if convicted.
How the Scheme Worked
The fraud centered on fraudulent billing to Medicare and other government-sponsored health insurance programs, as well as private insurers. Investigators say the criminal network submitted false claims for durable medical equipment — including urinary catheters — that beneficiaries never ordered or received. The operation came to light after thousands of people, including elderly individuals and people with disabilities, contacted Medicare upon receiving Explanation of Benefits forms for equipment they had no knowledge of.
The Money Trail: Overseas Transfers and Front Companies
The cross-border financial mechanics of the case are the clearest illustration of how transnational fraud networks extract value from U.S. healthcare programs. Kakha Bendeliani, 48, a Georgian national, allegedly acted as the "nominee owner" of a front company called Centennial Med Supply LLC, allowing others to use his personal information to acquire the business and open accounts across six U.S. banks. He then allegedly withdrew $12,589,770 in fraudulent Medicare proceeds, used cashier's checks to obscure the source of funds, and wired more than $12.5 million to overseas accounts.
Goga Danelia, 31, also from Georgia, served as Bendeliani's primary accomplice. Because Bendeliani was not fluent in English and did not drive, Danelia allegedly provided transportation and translation services to facilitate bank visits, account openings, and cash withdrawals. The funds were ultimately moved out of the United States, according to prosecutors.
Erin Creegan, U.S. attorney for the District of New Hampshire, said the charges expose the scale of fraud and money laundering that transnational criminal organizations are prepared to inflict on the U.S. healthcare system and on New Hampshire residents specifically.
A Stolen Identity Sustained for Two Decades
Separately, Fructoso de Jesus Gomez Agudelo, 76, of Nashua, New Hampshire, is charged with wire fraud. Prosecutors allege he stole and assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen for more than 20 years, using that false identity to collect more than $500,000 in public assistance — including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, housing benefits, and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program payments.
A Pharmacist's Parallel Offense
The fourth defendant, Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60, of Massachusetts, faces charges unrelated to the Medicare billing scheme. While working as a per diem pharmacist at a New Hampshire pharmacy in August 2024, she allegedly opened drug capsules to extract powdered medication and stole 147 pills or capsules of controlled substances within a single month. According to the Justice Department, she ingested some of the stolen drugs while on duty. Her case illustrates a distinct but concurrent vulnerability in the pharmaceutical supply chain that investigators uncovered during the broader inquiry.