White Coat, Artery Surgery, $135 Million: What Prosecutors Say Happened
Federal prosecutors say a chiropractor in a white coat sent patients into artery surgery they didn't need.
These are charges, not convictions. Everything below is what federal prosecutors allege. I'm writing about it because it shows how a payment system can be gamed for years, and what you can check before anyone touches you.
The Charges
On October 22, 2026, the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Central District of California announced an indictment against chiropractor Hany Malek and cardiothoracic surgeon Harold Tabaie. Both are charged with four counts of health care fraud.
According to prosecutors | |
Alleged scheme | About $135 million billed to Medicare |
Procedure | Atherectomy, a bladed catheter that scrapes plaque from arteries |
Chiropractor's alleged role | Posed as a medical doctor and told people they had arterial disease |
Surgeon's alleged role | Performed the procedures on patients who didn't have the disease |
Recruiting | Alleged kickbacks like free rides, groceries, household goods, gift cards and help with utility bills |
Source: U.S. Department of Justice, Oct 22, 2026.
Prosecutors say some patients were left in extreme pain, and some had the procedure repeated after earlier ones failed.
How Prosecutors Say It Stayed Hidden
According to the charges, claims were billed under other providers' names to hide how many procedures were being done. Prosecutors also say clinic staff talked patients into dropping their plans and signing up for specific Medicare plans, to get the clinics bigger payments.
What finally flagged it was data. Prosecutors say analysis of billing showed the surgeon was an extreme outlier for these procedures from 2016 to 2023. That's years of claims paid before anyone stopped it.
Who Paid
Medicare paid these claims. Medicare is funded by taxpayers and by the premiums people on Medicare pay. So every fake procedure was paid out of a shared pot, and the patient paid with their body.
This case was one piece of a much larger national sweep announced the same week. The Justice Department says its Health Care Fraud Strike Force has charged more than 6,200 defendants since 2007, who together billed more than $45 billion.
The Coat
A white coat is supposed to signal trust. When Medicare pays the claim before anyone checks, the coat can turn into a billing tool. The form gets filled, the check gets cut, and the patient carries the scar.
That's the design flaw. A lot of the system pays first and checks later. Fraud that looks like normal billing can run a long time before the data catches up.
What You Can Check
Ask what kind of license the person treating you holds. A chiropractor, a nurse and a medical doctor are different jobs.
Look it up. Every state has a licensing board you can search online by name.
Be wary of gifts. Free rides, groceries or gift cards in exchange for a procedure are a red flag.
Read your Medicare Summary Notice. If it lists services you never got, call Medicare.
If you think you were a patient in this case, the Justice Department's Fraud Division has a victim assistance line: 1-888-549-3945.
Questions People Ask
Were they convicted? No. These are charges in an indictment. Both men are presumed innocent unless proven guilty.
Was this Medicaid? No. Prosecutors say the billing was to Medicare.
How do I check who's treating me? Ask what their license is, and look it up with your state licensing board.
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A cash pharmacy doesn't live on claims. We post every price because we compete on an honest number. Look it up before you walk in.
Head to forestparkpharmacy.com to look at our price checker and transfer today to save. See ya.
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