Anthony Santamaria was sentenced on May 19 at the federal courthouse in Brooklyn to 120 months in prison for his role in a $2 billion international health care fraud conspiracy. Santamaria is the third member of a Moscow-based criminal organization to be sentenced this month, following co-defendants Hershel Tsikman and Hafizullah Ebady, who received sentences of 120 months and 97 months, respectively. In addition to imprisonment, Judge William F. Kuntz II ordered Santamaria to forfeit $3.2 million and Ebady more than $1.8 million; all three must pay restitution at a later date.
The case highlights ongoing efforts by law enforcement agencies to dismantle complex health care fraud networks that target American businesses and private insurers through sophisticated schemes involving call centers, shell companies, and remote billing operations.
Joseph Nocella, Jr., United States Attorney for the Eastern District of New York; Colin M. McDonald, Assistant Attorney General for the National Fraud Enforcement Division; and James C. Barnacle, Jr., Assistant Director in Charge at the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s New York Field Office announced the sentences. “For over five years, the defendants built a sophisticated, international criminal organization that employed scores of call center employees and remote-billers to steal hundreds of millions of dollars from American businesses and launder the stolen monies overseas,” said Nocella. “Despite the defendants’ aliases, encrypted messaging platforms, shell companies and straw owners… they are now being held accountable.” He also thanked the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey’s Office of Inspector General for its work on the case.
Assistant Attorney General McDonald said: “This Moscow-based criminal organization provided anything but health care… They executed a brazen international fraud scheme involving sham call centers, ghost telemedicine visits, and remotely controlled pharmacies—with many patients never receiving the medication.” FBI Assistant Director Barnacle added: “The takedown of this international criminal organization sends a clear message that those who exploit our American healthcare system for profit – no matter where they operate – will be identified, investigated, and prosecuted.”
Court records show that between 2017 and 2022, defendants operated call centers first in Utah then Russia to contact beneficiaries enrolled with private insurers about medications offered without medical exams or cost. The group generated fraudulent prescriptions—often without any real telemedicine visits—and acquired U.S.-based pharmacies used as fronts for submitting false reimbursement requests totaling nearly $2 billion according to third-party billing records; over $758 million was paid out by insurers as a result.
To hide their involvement in these activities—including purchasing dozens of pharmacies across several states—the conspirators used aliases as well as pass-through shell companies managed by straw owners while laundering proceeds internationally.
The government’s prosecution team includes multiple assistant U.S. attorneys from both business fraud prosecution sections and asset forfeiture units.
A fourth defendant was previously sentenced while three others await sentencing; Brian Sutton—the alleged leader—remains at large abroad with charges pending against him still only allegations until proven guilty.
