Justice Department Launches West Coast Strike Force Against Health Care Fraud

The Justice Department announced the creation of the West Coast Health Care Fraud Strike Force on April 30, 2026, in San Francisco, combining the Fraud Division's Health Care Fraud Section with U.S. Attorney's Offices in the District of Arizona, District of Nevada and Northern District of California, per the department's press release.

The strike force targets health care fraud schemes across Arizona, Nevada and Northern California, regions that include major population centers like Phoenix, Las Vegas and the San Francisco Bay Area. These areas serve millions of residents through federal health programs such as Medicare and Medicaid, which process billions in claims annually and are frequent targets for fraudulent billing and kickback operations, based on standard enforcement patterns documented in prior Justice Department actions.

Before this launch, health care fraud enforcement in these districts operated through individual U.S. Attorney's Offices and the national Fraud Division without a dedicated multi-district team. The new strike force establishes a coordinated unit focused on the West Coast, effective immediately from the April 30, 2026, announcement date.

The formation activates joint investigations and prosecutions across the three districts, enabling faster resource sharing and case development for fraud involving telemedicine, durable medical equipment and opioid prescriptions, per the press release details.

It also triggers allocation of dedicated personnel from the Fraud Division to these offices, setting in motion enforcement actions that could result in indictments and asset seizures under statutes like the False Claims Act. State attorneys general and agencies like the Department of Health and Human Services may now collaborate more directly on related cases.

The Justice Department established similar strike forces in other regions, including the Appalachian Regional Prescription Opioid Strike Force in 2019 and expansions in Texas and Florida. This West Coast version follows a pattern of geographic targeting after the Fraud Division's creation in 2007 under the Criminal Division.