The Department of Justice unveiled charges against 300 defendants, alleging they misled patients into paying for, and sometimes receiving, medical care they did not need in a 14.6 billion healthcare fraud scheme. The Department of Justice's unveiling this week of sweeping charges against more than 300 defendants who allegedly defrauded Medicare and other taxpayer-funded programs came as part of the department's annual "takedown" event. The healthcare fraud takedowns have been a practice at the DOJ for more than a decade, but officials touted this one as the largest on record. It stood out not only for its size but also because it focused on transnational criminals and broached artificial intelligence. "This takedown represents the largest healthcare fraud takedown in American history," DOJ Criminal Division head Matthew Galeotti said.