2 Pakistanis Charged in Chicago in $10 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme
A federal court in Chicago charged two Pakistani nationals in connection with a $10 million scheme that prosecutors say exploited Medicare and private insurers by billing for medical services and equipment that were never provided, according to an indictment unsealed this week.
According to a Department of Justice statement, the indictment alleges that Burhan Mirza, 31, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, played central roles in a fraud operation that ran during 2023 and 2024 and relied on nominee-owned medical laboratories and durable medical equipment companies to submit false claims to US health care benefit programs.
Mirza is accused of acquiring identifying information belonging to individuals, health care providers, and insurers without authorization and using that information to support fraudulent billing submitted in the names of the nominee-owned companies, prosecutors said.
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Iqbal was allegedly connected to several medical equipment providers involved in the false submissions. According to the indictment, he helped move proceeds generated by the scheme through money laundering transactions and coordinated the transfer of funds from the United States to Pakistan.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said.
US Attorney Andrew S. Boutros for the Northern District of Illinois said the alleged conduct undermined programs funded by taxpayers. “The defendants didn’t just steal from a government program; they stole from taxpayers who fund the promise of healthcare in this country,” Boutros said, adding that the office’s Healthcare Fraud Section would continue pursuing similar cases.
Federal investigators said the scheme deprived legitimate patients of resources and drained public and private health care programs. “Each fraudulent claim submitted by the defendants deprived other deserving patients from necessary medical resources and cost taxpayers their hard-earned money,” said Douglas S. DePodesta, special agent in charge of the FBI’s Chicago Field Office.
Mirza is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal faces 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering, and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. No arraignment dates have been set.
Three additional defendants previously pleaded guilty in the case and are awaiting sentencing
