Hamadeh Joins GOP Push For Arrests Over $250M Medicaid Fraud Scandal In Ohio

Hamadeh Joins GOP Push For Arrests Over $250M Medicaid Fraud Scandal In Ohio

By Ethan Faverino |

The Republican Study Committee (RSC) held a fraud roundtable last week, led by Representative Brandon Gill (TX-26), calling for aggressive action and criminal prosecutions in response to a major Medicaid fraud scheme in Ohio uncovered by investigative reporting.

The event follows a Daily Wire investigation by reporter Luke Rosiak, which revealed how convicted felons and foreign nationals established 288 shell companies to fraudulently bill taxpayers for home health services that were never even provided.

The scheme defrauded Ohio’s Medicaid program of approximately $250 million. One single building in Columbus reportedly housed 94 fake companies that billed out $66 million.

Rosiak exposed the operation in about two months by analyzing publicly available data that state Medicaid officials had allegedly overlooked for four years.

Rep. Gill, who chairs the newly formed House Oversight Committee Task Force on Defending Constitutional Rights and Exposing Institutional Abuses, announced that the task force will launch a formal investigation equipped with subpoena power to pursue accountability and issue criminal referrals.

“Whenever you bring in infinity third worlders into American society from low trust countries, you kind of expect low trust behavior, and that’s what we’ve seen here,” stated Gill.  “The American people want to know that their tax dollars are actually being used for the American people, not for foreigners, not for fraudsters. Our job is to stop it, to get the bad guys in jail by issuing criminal referrals.”

The roundtable aligns with broader Republican efforts to combat waste, fraud, and abuse in federal healthcare programs. These initiatives build upon the White House Fraud Task Force established by President Donald Trump and Vice President JD Vance, which has already deferred billions in Medicaid reimbursements from non-compliant states and imposed a hold on new hospice and home health care licenses until integrity requirements are met.

RSC Vice Chair Ben Cline (VA-06) emphasized the impact on legitimate beneficiaries: “Fraud is not a victimless crime. Fraudsters steal money from innocent people who are meant to benefit from these programs, Medicare, Medicaid, home health. One of the main weapons that we have is transparency.”

Additional remarks from members in attendance included:

  • Rep. Michael Cloud (TX-27): “It’s unfortunate when people come to this country, have no intent in helping build this country, but are just simply here to defraud the American citizens who are here and working to build this country. The waste, fraud, and abuse is turned into a money laundering scheme for leftist organizations.”
  • Rep. Laurel Lee (FL-15): “We are not providing federal funding for the purpose of subsidizing negligence, incompetence, or corruption. Every dollar that is stolen is $1 that is no longer available for vulnerable Americans who actually need these services.”
  • Rep. Tim Burchett (TN-02): “We found over a trillion dollars in duplication and increased bureaucracy. Every time the Democrats holler and say, ‘Oh, you’re cutting this program,’ you’re damn right. We’re cutting the waste, abuse, and fraud.”
  • Rep. Mike Kennedy (UT-03): “This criminal behavior is enriching filthy individuals who deserve to be in jail. If there are doctors on the tape, they should do the perp walk and go to jail. Their license should be taken and never returned.”
  • Rep. Abe Hamadeh (AZ-08): “This is not just going to be hearings after hearings. It’s going to be arrests and prosecutions. We have to end this now. What we’re uncovering is criminals.”

Republicans characterized the Ohio Medicaid scam as a stark example of systemic vulnerabilities in federal healthcare programs that deflect critical resources away from the people who depend on these services.

The roundtable highlighted the GOP’s commitment to greater transparency, aggressive enforcement, and criminal prosecutions to protect taxpayer dollars and restore integrity to these programs.

Ethan Faverino is a reporter for AZ Free News. You can send him news tips using this link.

Arizona Representatives Sign On In Support Of ‘Remain In Mexico Act’

Arizona Representatives Sign On In Support Of ‘Remain In Mexico Act’

By Matthew Holloway |

Republican Arizona Congressmen Andy Biggs (R-AZ-1), Abe Hamadeh (R-AZ-08), and Eli Crane (R-AZ-05) have co-sponsored the first bill by freshman lawmaker, Rep. Brandon Gill (R-TX-26), the REMAIN in Mexico Act. If enacted, it would cement the first-term immigration policy championed by President-elect Donald Trump. They were joined by 77 other Republicans co-sponsoring the bill.

According to Gill, the “Remain in Mexico” policy, officially known as the migrant protection protocols, was first implemented by the Trump administration in January 2019. This set of policies allowed federal authorities to return non-Mexican asylum-seeking illegal immigrants to Mexico to await immigration proceedings.

The new bill will require the Secretary of Homeland Security to reinstate the Migrant Protection Protocol in accordance with 2019 Homeland Security documentation titled “Policy Guidance for Implementation of the Migrant Protection Protocols.”

“President Trump’s Remain in Mexico policy was extremely successful, resulting in fewer illegal border crossings, fewer fraudulent asylum claims, and more deportations,” Gill explained in a statement. “But immediately after taking power in 2021, Democrats undid nearly all of President Trump’s border protection policies, unleashing mass chaos and destruction throughout our heartland.

Over the past four years, the Biden administration has allowed over 10 million illegal aliens to invade our country, and critics say it prioritized criminal illegal aliens over law abiding American citizens.

As a result, says Gill, “illegal aliens are murdering, raping, and pillaging American citizens.”

“This must end now,” Gill said. “The American people gave President Trump and Republicans a mandate to secure our border, and Congress must pass the REMAIN in Mexico Act as a first step to secure our border and fix the problems Democrats created in our country.”

In a statement to AZ Free News, Rep. Crane commented, “This legislation is common sense. It codifies one of President Trump’s most successful policies, which was foolishly reversed under the open-borders Biden regime.”

“It’s outrageous that some of our leaders can’t be trusted to prioritize the security of American citizens, making this legislation necessary,” continued Crane. “I’m proud to cosponsor this bill that puts America first.”

In a subsequent interview with Newsmax, Gill wrote, “The REMAIN in Mexico Act is common sense legislation that would stop the deluge of illegal aliens pouring into our country. We now have over 80 Republican co-sponsors. I hope some of my colleagues from across the aisle will join us, but we can pass this bill with or without Democrat support.”

Fellow freshman Congressman Hamadeh shared the bill to X with a similar sentiment, “I’m proud to champion this vital bill to help keep our communities safe and codify the policy that made President Trump’s America much safer than Joe Biden’s.”

Matthew Holloway is a senior reporter for AZ Free News. Follow him on X for his latest stories, or email tips to Matthew@azfreenews.com.