LOS ANGELES — California Attorney General Rob Bonta announced charges against 21 people in Los Angeles in connection with a scheme that used stolen identities of people outside the state to bill approximately $267 million in hospice services to Medi-Cal, California's equivalent of Medicaid. Five of the 21 charged individuals have been arrested, Bonta said.

Medi-Cal provides free or low-cost health insurance to low-income individuals and families in the state. According to prosecutors, individuals involved in the scheme purchased personal information belonging to non-California residents from the dark web and enrolled those people in Medi-Cal without their knowledge. The participants then purchased 14 hospice companies and used the stolen identities to submit claims to the state insurance program for hospice services that were billed at approximately $267 million in total.

The Department of Health Care Services notified state prosecutors of the potential fraud, leading to the investigation. The 21 defendants have been charged with conspiracy to commit health care fraud, health care fraud, money laundering, and identity theft with aggravated white collar crime and money laundering enhancements.

"This isn't a political game for us. This is about protecting taxpayer dollars, protecting the programs that sick and vulnerable Californians rely on, and protecting our state," Bonta said.

Under Bonta, the state has filed 119 hospice-related criminal cases and secured 51 convictions. California Governor Gavin Newsom expressed support for the enforcement action. "For years, California has led the charge to protect public programs from fraud and abuse," Newsom said. "We hold accountable to the fullest extent of the law anyone who tries to rip off taxpayers and take advantage of public programs, particularly those as sensitive as hospice care," he added.

The announcement of charges comes as the Trump administration has accused California of not doing enough to crack down on fraud in public benefit programs. Federal officials launched a nationwide effort to target improper spending in federal benefit programs, and the administration made California a particular focus, zeroing in on Medicare hospice fraud in the Los Angeles area.

President Donald Trump signed an executive order in March to create an anti-fraud task force led by Vice President JD Vance. Most of the task force's efforts have focused on states run by Democrats. Florida was among the jurisdictions asked to share information on how it identifies, prevents, and addresses Medicaid fraud.