A whistleblower helped uncover an alleged $11 million Medicaid fraud scheme in Indiana, state Attorney General Todd Rokita told Newsmax on Friday.
Appearing on Newsmax's "National Report," Rokita said his office launched a 15-month investigation that resulted in charges against six people accused of stealing nearly $11 million from taxpayers.
Indiana began investigating the alleged scheme before the massive Medicaid fraud cases uncovered in neighboring Minnesota drew national attention, Rokita said.
"This was the culmination of about a 15-month investigation," Rokita said, stressing the charges remain allegations but describing the evidence as serious.
According to prosecutors, the defendants are accused of billing Indiana Medicaid for home health care services that were never provided through a central Indiana home care agency.
Two of the defendants face dozens of felony counts as part of what authorities say was an extensive fraud scheme.
Rokita said Indiana's home health waiver program, which allows caregivers — including family members — to provide in-home care instead of placing loved ones in nursing homes, is particularly vulnerable to fraud.
"As you can imagine, this kind of program is rife with fraud," Rokita said. "That's what we allege was going on here to the tune of about $11 million."
The attorney general credited a whistleblower for bringing the allegations to the attention of the Indiana Department of Health, which then referred the matter to his office.
"A whistleblower brought us this information initially through our Department of Health," Rokita said. "The Department of Health did its job and passed it on to us, and we immediately took action."
He also said investigators used artificial intelligence and other modern investigative tools to identify suspicious billing patterns and accelerate the probe.
Rokita argued the case demonstrates why voters should pay close attention to attorney general races, saying aggressive enforcement depends on elected officials willing to pursue such cases.
"It matters who your attorney general is," he said. "It's just a willingness to do the right thing that leads you to these kinds of results."
The Republican attorney general warned that his office's work is far from over.
"One of the main reasons I'm on your program is so that I can help get the word out so that people are on notice," Rokita said. "Be warned, we're looking at others."
Rokita noted that his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recently was recognized by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. as the nation's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit of the Year, calling the honor a testament to his team's commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars.
He pledged to continue rooting out fraud wherever it exists.
"We're going to be very dogged in going after these folks," Rokita said. "There is fraud going on, even in places like Indiana that won't that won't tolerate it."
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