A man charged in connection with one of the largest Medicare fraud schemes in U.S. history is back in American custody after being apprehended in Northern Cyprus and flown to South Florida, the Justice Department said June 23.
Ibrahim Khaldoon Hilmi has been charged in the Southern District of Florida in connection with $3.7 billion in false claims for urinary catheters and other durable medical equipment that was never provided, according to the Justice Department. Hilmi fled the U.S. in May 2025. The FBI’s Critical Incident Response Group carried out a foreign transfer of custody operation and transported him to South Florida on June 19, the bureau’s Miami office said.
The alleged scheme is an extension of a transnational criminal organization that was the subject of the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown operation, in which 29 defendants were charged in connection with more than $10 billion in fraudulent claims. Mr. Hilmi’s charges represent an additional $3.7 billion in fraud the organization allegedly carried out after that takedown. Two other members of the organization apprehended in Estonia made their initial court appearance in the Eastern District of New York on June 12, and five additional defendants were charged in connection with the scheme as part of the 2026 takedown operation.
Hilmi’s return was announced as part of the Justice Department’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which charged 455 defendants in connection with more than $6.5 billion in alleged fraud.
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