Department of Justice

Stethoscope on medical bills and health insurance claim form

Two announcements in the span of nine days reflect a significant expansion of federal healthcare fraud enforcement resources. On August 4, DOJ announced expansion of its Northeast Health Care Fraud Strike Force to Philadelphia, marking the fourth geographic expansion in less than a year. Nine days later, on August 13, Assistant Attorney General Colin M. McDonald issued a priorities memorandum for the National Fraud Enforcement Division (the Fraud Division), a new DOJ division announced by President Trump in January 2026 and formally established in April 2026, that places healthcare fraud second on a list of five enforcement priorities and describes plans to enhance the Strike Force model with additional resources, data analytics, and technology.

gavel on a money

The U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) continues to treat Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan fraud as an enforcement priority. As we have noted in prior updates covering both criminal and civil enforcement, the pace of new cases has not slowed. Below is an overview of significant PPP-related civil enforcement actions from late 2025 through July 2026. In the coming days, we will post a second blog with an update on criminal enforcement.

On August 4, I spoke with Cormac Connor, Todd Gee, Michael Schrier, and Julia Kopcienski for the latest edition of Husch Blackwell’s Government Enforcement, Compliance & Investigations webinar series. The session examined the federal government’s expanding use of the False Claims Act and other mechanisms to enforce the current administration’s anti-discrimination policy.

Columns at courthouse entrance

The first half of 2026 has confirmed that False Claims Act (FCA) enforcement is not only continuing at historically elevated levels but is expanding in scope, sophistication, and institutional backing. With the Department of Justice (DOJ) reporting more than $6.8 billion in FCA settlements and judgments for fiscal year 2025 (the highest annual total on record) and qui tam filings on pace to set another record in FY 2026, federal fund recipients across various industries face a sustained period of heightened scrutiny. This mid-year update synthesizes the most significant developments and offers practical considerations for navigating the current enforcement landscape.

Stethoscope and gavel on white background, symbol of law and medic

Between May 13 and June 1, 2026, the Department of Justice’s National Fraud Enforcement Division secured six separate jury trial convictions in five federal districts. The defendants span virtually every healthcare setting and role, from a software platform executive to a rural nurse practitioner. In total, alleged losses exceed $1.1 billion to Medicare, Medicaid, and other health benefit programs. The convictions in these cases illustrate and reconfirm the breadth and activeness of the DOJ’s current healthcare fraud enforcement activity.

abstract blurred image of doctor and patient people in hospital interior or clinic corridor for background, laboratory, science experiment, health care and medical technology concept, Generative AI

On June 24, 2026, Acting Attorney General of the United States Todd Blanche along with other senior government officials and leaders announced “the greatest combined federal and state effort in combating healthcare fraud in history.” The 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown heralded 455 defendants charged across 56 federal districts and 45 states and territories, in connection with more than $6.5 billion in alleged false claims submitted to Medicare, Medicaid, and other federal health programs—all in a coordinated two-week window.

Washington, D.C., USA- January13, 2020: Sign of The U.S. Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC) at its headquarters in Washington, an agency of the US government.

Earlier this month, the Commodity Futures Trading Commission (CFTC or Commission) eliminated its rule barring settlement with defendants who continued to deny the allegations against them. The move follows the Securities and Exchange Commission’s rescission of a parallel no-deny policy in May 2026, a development we noted previously, and signals an accelerating consensus shift between the two agencies on the terms of civil enforcement settlements.

On May 27, 2026, the Department of Justice (“DOJ”) announced that its Civil Division is implementing reforms to accelerate the review of False Claims Act (FCA) whistleblower complaints alleging fraud on federally funded, state-administered benefits programs. That same day, Assistant Attorney General of the Civil Division, Brett A. Shumate, issued an internal memorandum directing Fraud…

White-Collar

The Department of Justice (DOJ) recently provided important information about how it plans to handle the surge in data-driven False Claims Act (FCA) qui tam lawsuits. On April 30, 2026, DOJ announced its Fraud Oversight through Careful Use of Statistics (FOCUS) Initiative, a new program designed to help the government assess viable data-driven qui tams. This initiative offers important insights into the DOJ’s evolving approach to these cases and potential new avenues for early dismissal.