Dr. Oz Alleges Chinese Crime Syndicates Defrauding New York Medicaid Program

The allegation, if substantiated by federal investigators, would add a criminal fraud dimension to ongoing congressional scrutiny of New York's Medicaid expenditures — the largest of any single state.

Federal Medicaid Administrator Mehmet Oz publicly alleged Sunday that Chinese crime syndicates are submitting fraudulent medical bills against New York's Medicaid program, which he described as carrying approximately $110 billion in spending, according to a report by the New York Post published July 19, 2026. Oz, appointed to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services by the Trump administration, made the claims in a televised interview without presenting documentary evidence during the appearance itself. No federal indictment, court filing, or Department of Justice press release had been publicly identified as of the publication of this article to corroborate the specific syndicate allegation.

New York's Medicaid program is administered jointly by the state and the federal government under Title XIX of the Social Security Act. Federal matching funds flow through CMS to state programs, giving the federal administrator statutory oversight authority. The $110 billion figure cited by Oz would represent total annual Medicaid expenditures for New York; the state's own budget documents for fiscal year 2026 place total Medicaid spending at approximately $100 billion when combining state and federal shares, though final audited figures for the current period are not yet publicly certified.

Fraud enforcement in Medicaid is shared across the Department of Justice, the HHS Office of Inspector General, and state attorneys general. The HHS OIG's publicly available Work Plan and semi-annual reports to Congress identify healthcare fraud as a top enforcement priority, and New York has historically ranked among states with the highest volume of Medicaid fraud referrals. However, no active federal case specifically matching Oz's description of a Chinese crime syndicate targeting New York Medicaid was listed in publicly searchable DOJ press releases or PACER federal court records as of this publication date.

Oz's role as CMS administrator grants him access to federal audit data and law enforcement referrals not available to the public, meaning the underlying basis for his claim may exist in non-public investigative records. Congressional oversight committees with jurisdiction over this matter include the Senate Finance Committee and the House Energy and Commerce Committee, both of which have authority to request and publish relevant CMS audit findings under Senate Rule XXVI and House Rule X respectively.

What remains unknown is whether a formal federal investigation has been opened, which law enforcement agency is leading it, and whether any arrests or indictments are pending. The document that would answer these questions is either a DOJ press release announcing charges, a federal grand jury indictment filed in the relevant district court and available through PACER, or an HHS OIG audit report transmitted to Congress — none of which had been publicly released as of July 19, 2026.