HOUSTON — Emylee Thai, a 41-year-old former laboratory owner from Houston, was added to the FBI's Most Wanted Fraudsters List. She faces federal charges including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States, destruction of records, and violation of pretrial conditions.

Investigators allege Thai participated in a scheme to defraud the United States and to pay and receive health care kickbacks connected to a federal health care program. In or around 2019, she owned a laboratory that engaged in contracting with marketers to refer signed doctors' orders and beneficiary DNA samples to the lab. These referrals were allegedly made in exchange for a percentage of Medicare reimbursements. Authorities allege the genetic testing was medically unnecessary and not used in beneficiaries' treatment plans. Thai's laboratory billed Medicare approximately $142 million for genetic testing during the alleged scheme and received roughly $95 million in Medicare reimbursements.

Thai was granted bond following her arrest, which included pretrial conditions such as wearing a GPS ankle monitor. On Dec. 8, 2022, her location monitor was removed. Authorities then reported they were unable to contact or locate her. A federal arrest warrant was issued on Dec. 9, 2022, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas, after she was charged with tampering with her GPS monitoring device. Investigators determined Thai fled the country aboard a private aircraft to Vietnam using a false identity. Federal investigators believe she is likely in Vietnam. A separate federal arrest warrant was issued for her on July 6, 2023, in the United States District Court for the Southern District of Texas. The FBI is offering a reward of up to $150,000 for information leading to her arrest, according to officials.