FBI Captures ‘Most Wanted’ Medicare Fraud Suspect Khalid Satary; Targets Foreign Nationals in Broad Crackdown
The FBI has apprehended Khalid Ahmed Satary, an alleged mastermind behind a $547 million Medicare fraud scheme, marking the third capture from the bureau’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list in just five weeks. The arrest underscores an intensifying federal effort to pursue foreign nationals accused of defrauding U.S. government programs from overseas.
FBI Nabs Alleged $547M Medicare Fraud Mastermind
In late July, federal agents arrested Khalid Ahmed Satary in the Middle East. FBI Director Kash Patel stated Satary participated in a conspiracy that fraudulently billed Medicare for medically unnecessary genetic tests between 2016 and 2019.
“The arrest of Khalid Ahmed Satary and return to the U.S. is the third Most Wanted Fraudster capture from this FBI and our partners in just five weeks — continuing the historic run of success for this new initiative,”
Patel told Fox News Digital.
Satary, who previously appeared on the FBI’s Most Wanted Fraudsters list, allegedly used bogus genetic testing schemes and doctor bribes to execute the fraud.
Administration Targets Foreign Nationals in Fraud Crackdown
The Trump administration is escalating efforts to target foreign nationals accused of exploiting U.S. government programs. Last week, the FBI released its “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list highlighting alleged suspects as part of a broader crackdown. Officials say the involvement of foreign actors in multiple schemes has heightened concerns about overseas exploitation of federal funds.
Among those named is Onur Simsek, a Turkish national believed to be living in Turkey. Federal prosecutors accuse Simsek of leading a defense procurement fraud scheme that secured U.S. military contracts by falsely certifying Turkish-made parts as tested and qualified—potentially rendering critical military equipment inoperable.
Turkish National Accused of Infiltrating Defense Supply Chain
According to the Justice Department, Simsek and his co-conspirators operated a U.S.-based front company between April 2019 and February 2022 to obtain contracts supplying parts for Navy submarines, Marine Corps armored vehicles, Army M-60 tanks, and other military equipment. Prosecutors allege the parts were manufactured in Turkey, then repackaged to conceal their country of origin before being sold to the U.S. government.
The scheme allegedly involved collaboration with Yuksel Senbol, who was sentenced to prison for conspiracy to defraud in 2024. An arrest warrant for Simsek was issued in Tampa, Florida, in October 2023. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction.
“Simsek’s alleged procurement fraud deprived taxpayers of value, denied honest businesses fair opportunity, and diverted critical resources from American warfighters,”
General Services Administration Administrator Ed Forst said in a statement.
“Under President Trump and Vice President Vance, GSA will continue working relentlessly to identify and hold accountable those who try to cheat the federal marketplace and steal from the American people.”
The GSA Office of Inspector General assisted in the investigation.
Vice President Vance Cites ‘Clear Pattern’ in Immigrant Community Fraud
Foreign nationals have become a focal point in the administration’s broader fraud investigations, including scrutiny of an alleged Medicaid and child care fraud scheme involving members of Minnesota’s Somali community that led to clashes between federal agents and protesters earlier this year.
In an interview with Fox News Digital last month, Vice President JD Vance said authorities have observed what he described as a “clear pattern” in some fraud cases involving immigrant communities.
“You definitely see patterns in certain communities,”
Vance said.
“It’ll start as maybe one Somali person takes advantage of the system, or realizes you don’t even have to have children to get money from these programs. You could just claim that you have children, there’s no verification. Then, word spreads like wildfire, and that program gets tapped into by the same members of that community.”
‘Most Wanted Fraudsters’ Initiative Yields Early Results
The FBI’s new “Most Wanted Fraudsters” list is designed to help law enforcement locate and apprehend fugitives accused of large-scale fraud schemes. The initiative has already resulted in three captures in five weeks, including Satary’s arrest.
The White House has also launched an interactive map tracking billions in suspected fraud and exposed what it terms a “transshipment scam” costing the U.S. up to $26 billion, pointing to China as a primary actor.
Meanwhile, the Justice Department recently charged Ohio defendants in an alleged $30 million Medicaid scheme targeting children’s programs, and the FBI added an alleged COVID fraudster accused of taking $5 million from a kids’ meal program to its Most Wanted list.
