DOJ announces record health care fraud takedown

WASHINGTON, DC—The Justice Department on Monday announced criminal charges against 324 defendants, including 96 medical professionals, in a nationwide health care fraud takedown involving more than $14.6 billion in alleged schemes. The 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, described by officials as an “unprecedented effort,” spanned 50 federal districts and involved 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices. Authorities seized more than […]

Baltimore man pleads guilty in 2016 mistaken identity murder-for-hire plot

BALTIMORE, MD—A Baltimore man pleaded guilty Monday to a charge stemming from a 2016 murder-for-hire plot that resulted in the death of a woman mistaken for her neighbor, a federal witness. Matthew Hightower, 43, faces a maximum sentence of life in federal prison. Hightower admitted to using a firearm during and in relation to a violent crime that resulted in […]

Rosedale woman pleads guilty to conspiracy to distribute oxycodone, money laundering

BALTIMORE, MD—A Rosedale woman has pleaded guilty to charges of conspiracy to distribute controlled substances and money laundering, admitting to trafficking thousands of oxycodone pills, and laundering millions of dollars, federal authorities announced Wednesday. Terry Allen, 57, entered her plea in U.S. District Court in Baltimore. According to her plea agreement, Allen led a drug trafficking organization (DTO) that distributed […]

Former Maryland resident charged with multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud, Ponzi schemes

BALTIMORE, MD—A South Carolina man faces federal charges in Maryland for allegedly orchestrating multi-million-dollar Medicare fraud and Ponzi schemes, federal prosecutors announced Wednesday. Two indictments unsealed in the U.S. District Court in Baltimore accuse Charleston resident Michael Britton-Harr, 45, of defrauding Medicare and customers of his private charter jet company, according Kelly O. Hayes, U.S. Attorney for the District of […]

Walgreens settles for $350M over illegally filling unlawful opioid prescriptions

BALTIMORE, MD—Walgreens reached a $300 million settlement with the federal government over allegations that the pharmacy chain filled millions of unlawful opioid prescriptions, according to a news release from the U.S. Department of Justice. Walgreens and its subsidiaries reached a $300 million settlement with the Justice Department, Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), and Department of Health and Human Services Office of […]

Overdoses drop by 30% in Baltimore County

TOWSON, MD—Overdose deaths in Baltimore County decreased by 30% in 2024 from the previous year, a significant drop that County Executive Kathy Klausmeier and County Health Officer Dr. Lucy E. Wilson announced this week. This decline represents a 49% decrease in overdoses since 2021. This decrease is based on preliminary information from the Maryland Overdose Data Dashboard, which reported 286 […]

Maryland Attorney General joins lawsuit against HHS over public health grant cuts

BALTIMORE, MD—Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Tuesday announced that he has joined a multi-state lawsuit (PDF) challenging the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) abrupt termination of nearly $11 billion in public health grants. The lawsuit, filed in U.S. District Court in Rhode Island, alleges that the terminations, announced on March 24 by HHS Secretary Robert […]

Parkville woman pleads guilty to over $3.6 million in Medicaid fraud

BALTIMORE, MD—A Parkville woman has pleaded guilty to defrauding the Medicaid program of millions of dollars. Attorney General Anthony G. Brown on Monday announced that Tasha S. Saunders, 44, pleaded guilty to two counts of defrauding the Maryland Medicaid program of more than $3.6 million by billing for mental health services for Medicaid recipients that were never provided. Between November […]