On June 23, 2026, the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced the results of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, charging 455 defendants in alleged schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in false claims. The announcement is notable not only for its size, but for what it says about the maturation of health care fraud enforcement. DOJ has been talking about data analytics and whole-of-government coordination for years. This year’s Takedown suggests those concepts are no longer just aspirational talking points – they are increasingly the operating model, with data used earlier and more aggressively, familiar priorities like opioids joined by fast-emerging targets like allografts and skin grafts, and DOJ’s new National Fraud Enforcement Division (NFED) positioned as a coordinating hub.
The Numbers: Smaller Than 2025, Still…
This category refers to crimes committed by employees or insiders against their own organizations. It is often the most damaging because the perpetrator has authorized access to systems.
- Asset Misappropriation: The most common form, involving the theft of company resources. This ranges from simple “skimming” (taking cash before it’s recorded) to complex schemes involving the theft of inventory or intellectual property.
- Payroll Fraud: Employees may create “ghost employees” on the system, falsify their own timesheets to claim unworked overtime, or divert salary payments to their own accounts.
- Financial Statement Fraud: Management deliberately misrepresents the company’s financial health by inflating revenue or hiding liabilities to attract investors or meet performance bonuses.