Policy & oversight
Medicare Fraud Fugitive Caught Overseas With a Fake Passport After More Than Three Years on the Run
Khalid Satary, who allegedly billed Medicare more than 547 million dollars for medically unnecessary genetic tests, was arrested July 20 and is in United States custody after evading federal authorities for more than three years.
By the Goodsurance editorial teamJuly 30, 2026
Federal authorities announced the arrest of Khalid Satary, 54, in connection with one of the largest Medicare fraud cases ever charged by the Department of Justice. Satary was indicted in 2019 in the Eastern District of Louisiana on charges that his diagnostic testing laboratories billed Medicare for medically unnecessary cancer genetic tests from 2016 through 2019. The indictment alleged the scheme generated more than 547 million dollars in Medicare claims, with each test sample reimbursed at between 10,000 dollars and 20,000 dollars.
Prosecutors alleged that Satary used patient recruiters, offshore telemarketing call centers, and telemedicine companies to obtain test samples from Medicare beneficiaries through deceptive marketing campaigns and illegal kickbacks. Telemedicine physicians were paid to sign test orders without examining the patients whose Medicare numbers were billed.
Medicare's Most Wanted: A fugitive accused of a 547 million dollar fraud scheme was arrested overseas after more than three years on the run.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in December 2022 after Satary failed to appear for a court hearing and allegedly fled the United States. The Department of Justice placed him on its Most Wanted Fraudsters list on June 23, 2026. On July 20, 2026, regional law enforcement partners apprehended him in the Middle East, where he was carrying a fake Mexican passport bearing a false name. He was subsequently transferred to United States custody.
The case demonstrates that Medicare fraud enforcement extends across international borders. Beneficiaries whose personal information was used in the scheme may have fraudulent test orders recorded under their Medicare numbers, which they can review through Medicare.gov.
In plain words
A man charged with cheating Medicare out of more than 547 million dollars has been caught. He was hiding in the Middle East under a fake name.
Khalid Satary ran labs accused of billing Medicare for expensive cancer gene tests that patients did not need. Each test could cost Medicare more than 10,000 dollars. His companies used phone calls and misleading ads to find patients, then paid doctors to approve the tests without properly reviewing whether patients needed them.
When he did not show up to court in 2022, he ran away. The Justice Department put him on its Most Wanted list in June 2026. Authorities found him on July 20, 2026, and brought him back to the United States.
Understand the basics first
Source: U.S. Department of Justice
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