Illegal Immigrants Accused Of Looting Medicare In Massive Chicago Fraud Case

Federal prosecutors in Chicago say foreign nationals exploited U.S. Medicare and supplemental insurance systems on a massive scale, filing more than $1 billion in fraudulent claims for medical equipment and diagnostic tests that were never delivered, and in some cases never authorized, by patients or doctors.

Court filings unsealed in Chicago detail multiple schemes allegedly run by nationals of Kazakhstan and Pakistan who took control of legitimate-looking medical suppliers, used stolen patient data and fabricated prescriptions, and attempted to funnel proceeds overseas before investigators intervened.

According to prosecutors, Medicare was inundated with tens of thousands of beneficiary complaints tied to the fraudulent billing. Patients across several states told investigators they never received the equipment billed in their names, did not request it, and in some cases were not even diagnosed with the conditions the claims purported to treat.

One of the most aggressive operations centered on a Kentucky-based supplier that prosecutors say became a shell vehicle for hundreds of millions of dollars in false claims. Anuar Abdrakhmanov, a Kazakh national, is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering after allegedly taking control of Priority One Medical Equipment and submitting approximately $666 million in Medicare claims in just five months for glucose monitors and catheters.

Court records show Abdrakhmanov entered the United States in May 2023 on a temporary summer work visa that later expired, but he remained in the country. He allegedly became a manager of Priority One in April 2024 after the company was sold by its previous owner. Between May and August 2024, Medicare received roughly 250 complaints about Priority One. Six Illinois beneficiaries listed as receiving diabetic supplies told investigators they never requested the equipment, never received it, and did not have diabetes.

When investigators surveilled Priority One’s listed Kentucky office, they found it largely empty. Employees later told agents their sole task was to forward mail, including checks, to a supervisor they had never met, often via the encrypted messaging app Telegram. While Medicare stopped payments before most funds were released, prosecutors say supplemental Medigap insurers paid at least $450,000. Financial records show Abdrakhmanov wired tens of thousands of dollars to foreign accounts and attempted to move more before authorities stepped in.

Prosecutors say the Priority One scheme was not an anomaly, but part of a broader pattern involving similar tactics and staggering billing volumes. 

Kazakh national Tair Smagul is accused of laundering proceeds from a Connecticut-based supplier that submitted roughly 470,000 fraudulent claims totaling about $953 million for catheters. Medicare received more than 27,000 beneficiary complaints tied to that company alone. Patients interviewed by investigators denied receiving supplies, while doctors listed as prescribers said they had never ordered the equipment and did not treat the beneficiaries. Prosecutors say Smagul withdrew fraud proceeds through Illinois ATMs, shut down company accounts, and transferred remaining funds into his personal bank account.

A third case charges two Pakistani nationals with running an offshore operation that allegedly used stolen Medicare data to submit fraudulent claims for diagnostic testing and medical equipment through United States-based shell companies. According to the indictment, fraudulent payments were routed through entities with names such as Snazzy Sprocket, Peculiar Penguin, and Whimsy Wombat, masking millions in improper payouts.

Even as Somali-linked fraud cases in Minnesota dominate headlines, this prosecution suggests the scope of Medicare fraud is far broader, with billions potentially still buried beneath the surface.