‘Operation Never Say Die’ Nets Multiple Arrests in $50 Million Medicare Scam

This article has been updated to include an update from U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli

The Trump administration’s aggressive push against healthcare fraud in California took a major step forward today, with Vice President JD Vance’s anti-fraud task force suspending 221 hospice and healthcare providers in the Los Angeles area so far — a more than 215 percent jump from last week — while federal authorities executed multiple arrests this morning targeting a sophisticated $50 million Medicare scam.

🚨NEW: Vance anti-fraud task force suspends 221 California hospice and healthcare providers so far

"We expect this number to grow much, much higher in the coming weeks," a senior Trump administration official said.https://t.co/I2qhfxFjDa

— William Martin (@VPCommsDir) April 2, 2026

First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli announced the takedown of “Operation Never Say Die,” which charged 11 defendants – including owners of fraudulent hospice facilities, nurses, a chiropractor, and a psychologist – with scheming to bilk Medicare and taxpayers out of more than $50 million. Eight defendants were arrested early this morning and are expected to appear in federal court this afternoon.

“We are enforcing a zero-tolerance policy for criminals who defraud American taxpayers,” Essayli declared. “California has long been the epicenter of health care fraud schemes that prey on the vulnerable while lining the pockets of the greedy. Our aim is to reverse that trend with ‘Operation Never Say Die’ and others like it.” 

In coordination with the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, federal law enforcement executed several arrests and search warrants in the Los Angeles area this morning targeting hospice and health care fraud.

Operation Never Say Die involves 11 defendants who engaged in fraud totaling… pic.twitter.com/hQtKjsZFBL

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 2, 2026

The defendants allegedly operated at least three phony hospice care facilities that billed Medicare for services provided to patients who were not terminally ill – a brazen violation of the program’s core purpose. One defendant reportedly continued running the scam while free on bond awaiting trial on prior hospice fraud charges. 

Here are some of the defendants named in the federal takedown under “Operation Never Say Die,” along with their reported locations and roles, based on the U.S. Attorney’s Office announcement:

• Lolita Beronilla Minerd (also known as Lolita Beronilla Rice), 65, of Anaheim — Licensed vocational nurse and owner/operator of Topanga Hospice Care Inc. (based in Artesia). She is charged with health care fraud for allegedly submitting over $9.17 million in fraudulent Medicare claims (with more than $8.5 million paid) for services to non-terminally ill beneficiaries, including paying kickbacks. 
• Gladwin Gill, 66, psychologist, and Amelou Gill, 70, registered nurse, both of Covina — Owners/operators of 626 Hospice Inc. (d.b.a. St. Francis Palliative Care in Glendale). Charged with health care fraud involving over $5.2 million in fraudulent claims (more than $4 million paid) for unnecessary or non-provided services, plus money laundering. 
• Nita Almuete Paddit Palma, 76, of Glendale (lawful permanent resident from the Philippines) — Alleged owner/controller of three Glendale-based hospices (One Up Hospice Care Inc., Rosewood Hospice and Palliative Care Inc., and Advance Hospice and Palliative Care Inc.). She faces charges in connection with at least $4.8 million in fraudulent claims (over $4.2 million paid). Palma was reportedly already incarcerated on prior fraud convictions. 
• Adolfo Catbagan, 68, of Glendale — Charged alongside Palma as nominal owner/CEO of the same Glendale hospices. 
• Evelyn Tindimobuna, 51, licensed vocational nurse, of Chatsworth — Owner/operator of Comfort Choice Hospice Inc. (based in Tarzana). Charged with health care fraud for over $3.8 million in fraudulent claims (about $3.4 million paid) for non-terminally ill beneficiaries, including kickbacks. 
• Ivan Verne Lauritzen, 50, of Simi Valley — CEO/CFO of Valley Pacific Hospice Inc. (based in Simi Valley). Charged with health care fraud involving over $580,000 in billed claims (about $526,000 paid), including forged physician signatures. He had already made an initial court appearance and was released on bond.

This morning, the FBI raided the home of a psychologist and nurse in an affluent neighborhood. The couple is accused of defrauding Medicare for more than $7 million in a hospice fraud scheme – and they left their neighborhood in handcuffs. @adamyamaguchi pic.twitter.com/IypG5kPLyZ

— CBS News (@CBSNews) April 2, 2026

Note that the operation involved 11 defendants total in connection with over $50 million in alleged fraud losses, with the hospice-related cases centered primarily in the Los Angeles area (Glendale, Artesia, Tarzana, Simi Valley, etc.). 

The operation was coordinated with the Vice President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, underscoring the federal government’s renewed commitment to rooting out the systemic grift that has flourished under one-party Democratic rule in Sacramento.

This latest strike comes as no surprise to readers of the California Globe, which has repeatedly exposed the explosion of hospice fraud in the Golden State. In March, we reported that despite a much-touted state “crackdown,” 742 hospice providers in Los Angeles County alone remain flagged for fraud – including ghost offices and massive overbilling – with auditors estimating $105 million in improper Medicare claims in a single year. 

California’s hospice industry ballooned from just 109 providers in 2010 to over 1,800 in LA County by 2021 – a 1,500 percent increase while the senior population grew by only 40 percent. State audits and congressional probes have repeatedly warned of “weak controls” enabling large-scale fraud and abuse, yet Gov. Gavin Newsom’s administration has done little to stop it. 

California has been billed by California Rep. Kevin Kiley as the “Fraud Capital of America.” From billions lost in EDD unemployment scams during the pandemic – including payments to prison inmates and out-of-state fraudsters – to rampant identity theft rings preying on elderly homeowners, the state’s lax oversight has turned taxpayer-funded programs into ATM machines for criminals. 

Last October, Essayli’s newly formed Homelessness Fraud and Corruption Task Force made its first arrests, nabbing two alleged fraudsters accused of misusing funds meant to combat the state’s homelessness crisis – a problem that has swallowed $24 billion in recent years with little to show but exploding encampments. In March, federal agents arrested 10 members of an identity theft ring that stole $17 million from elderly California homeowners. 

Essayli, appointed by President Trump and former Attorney General Pam Bondi, has repeatedly called out California’s culture of corruption. “Sacramento is pervaded by a culture of corruption,” he has said, noting that the state handed out billions with “zero vetting and zero state oversight.” 

Full details, including additional names and exact charges, are available in the Department of Justice press release.

Update: 4:30 PT:

Fifteen people have now been arrested in a Medicare fraud scheme estimated at over $50 million:

Today, we charged 15 defendants with healthcare fraud totaling more than $50 million. This was the first major arrest operation in coordination with @VP’s Fraud Taskforce. The fraud train is coming to an end in California and across the country. https://t.co/hUmfOO6UHf

— F.A. United States Attorney Bill Essayli (@USAttyEssayli) April 2, 2026