Federal prosecutors say four people in New Hampshire have been charged in connection with an alleged healthcare fraud and money laundering scheme that ran for years and involved roughly $3 billion.
Among those charged is 76-year-old Fructoso de Jesus Gomez Agudelo of Nashua, who faces a wire fraud charge and is accused of using another person’s identity.
Kakha Bendeliani, 48, and Goga Danelia, 31, both citizens of the country of Georgia, were charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering tied to the submission of fraudulent Medicare claims.
Authorities allege Bendeliani and Danelia helped launder proceeds for a Russian transnational criminal organization involved in what prosecutors described as the largest identity theft-driven healthcare fraud case ever brought.
The case began to take shape after thousands of Medicare beneficiaries, including older adults and people with disabilities, reported receiving Explanation of Benefits forms for durable medical equipment they said they had never ordered and never received.
Surveillance footage allegedly shows Kakha Bendeliani at a financial institution during the conspiracy. Bendeliani and three other defendants — Fructoso de Jesus Gomez Agudelo, 76; Goga Danelia, 31; and Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60 — are charged over their alleged roles in a billion-dollar healthcare fraud operation. (Department of Justice)
Prosecutors said the broader criminal network carried out a multi-billion-dollar operation designed to siphon money from Medicare, other government-backed health insurance programs and private insurers.
“These charges expose the staggering scale of fraud and money laundering that Transnational Criminal Organizations are willing to inflict on our health care system and the people of New Hampshire,” Erin Creegan, U.S. attorney for the District of New Hampshire, said in announcing the charges against Danelia and Bendeliani.
Separately, Rima Gerges-Maalouf, 60, of Massachusetts, was charged with diverting controlled prescription drugs while working as a pharmacist in New Hampshire. Investigators accused her of opening up drug capsules to steal the powdered medication inside.
Surveillance showing Goga Danelia at a financial institution during the alleged fraud operation. (Justice Department)
The indictments allege a wide variety of fraud.
Agudelo allegedly stole and assumed the identity of a U.S. citizen for over 20 years, using the stolen persona to apply for and steal over $500,000 in public assistance — including Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security, housing and Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) benefits.
Meanwhile, Bendeliani allegedly acted as the “nominee owner” of a fraudulent medical equipment front company called Centennial Med Supply LLC. He allegedly allowed others to use his personal information to buy the business and set up bank accounts across six U.S. banks.
He then allegedly withdrew $12,589,770 in fraudulent Medicare payouts derived from a massive $3 billion urinary catheter billing scam. He used cashier’s checks to hide the money’s origin before wiring more than $12.5 million to overseas accounts.
Danelia was Bendeliani’s primary accomplice, the Justice Department said.
Since Bendeliani did not speak fluent English or drive, Danelia allegedly provided driving and English translation services to help him navigate U.S. banks.
Danelia also helped Bendeliani open accounts, withdraw the fraudulent cash via cashier’s checks and move it into secondary accounts. The funds were ultimately wired out of the U.S., authorities said.
While working as a temporary, per diem pharmacist at a pharmacy in New Hampshire in August 2024, Gerges-Maalouf also allegedly stole prescription pills and capsule medication powders meant for sick patients.
She kept the medication and ingested some of the stolen drugs while actively on duty, according to the DOJ. In total, she is accused of stealing 147 pills or capsules of controlled substances in a single month.
All four suspects face decades in prison if convicted.
