Federal authorities have announced charges against four more people in connection to an alleged scheme by a California based healthcare company to defraud federal health care benefit programs, including Medicare and Medicaid.
The two were charged in connection with alleged participation in a $100 million scheme to distribute Adderall—a drug commonly prescribed to those with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder—and other stimulants to illegitimate patients.
The most recent arrests were part of a two-week nationwide law enforcement action by the Department of Justice’s National Health Care Fraud Enforcement Action that resulted in criminal charges against 193 defendants for allegedly participating in over $2.75 billion in false billings to Medicare and Medicaid.
Federal prosecutors say they seized over $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold, and other assets during the crime sweep.
The most recent charges related to alleged wrongdoing in the Done Health case were filed in federal court in the Northern District of California, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
“We allege that each defendant played a role in a scheme to submit fraudulent requests to Medicare and Medicaid to obtain reimbursements for drugs that were improperly prescribed through online services,” said U.S. Attorney Deputy Chief Matthew Yelovich for the Northern District of California.
The four defendants arrested were Riley Levy, 30, a company executive from Peoria, Arizona; Christopher Lucchese, 58, a doctor from Plano, Texas; Yina Cruz, 37, a nurse practitioner from Glenwood, New Jersey; and Katrina Pratcher, 70, a nurse practitioner from Altadena, California.
All were charged with conspiracy to distribute controlled substances in connection with Done Health’s alleged unlawful scheme to distribute Adderall and other stimulants, authorities said.
Done Global, the parent company of Done Health, issued a statement disputing the charges on June 18 following the first two arrests.
“Done Global strongly disagrees with the criminal charges filed ... against our founder, Ruthia He, and Dr. David Brody, which are based on events that principally occurred between February 2020 and January 2023,” the company’s representative Ava Bostock, an associate with a Los Angeles-based public relations firm, said in a statement to The Epoch Times.
The statement continues saying, “Since our founding, Done Global has worked to make mental health care accessible for tens of thousands of Americans trapped in a spiraling national crisis.”
The company planned to continue serving customers, according to the statement.
“Done Global will continue to operate—and do everything in our power to ensure that tens of thousands of Americans that rely on us do not lose access to their mental health care,” the company added. “At the same time, we will continue to support our clinicians as they exercise independent clinical judgment, practice evidence-based medicine, and provide best-in-class health care.”
