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SecurityQuiet 5d · day 9

Illinois man pleads guilty in $227M Medicare COVID-test fraud scheme

Syed Murtuza Kablazada admits buying Medicare beneficiary data from a Pakistani firm to bill for test kits no one ordered.

newest coverage 4d agosummary written 4d ago2 pieces7.1k likes & upvotes317 comments XNewswires

What to know

  • Kablazada admitted billing Medicare $227 million for COVID-19 test kits beneficiaries never requested, with Medicare actually paying out about $136 million.
  • The scheme relied on personal data for hundreds of thousands of beneficiaries bought for about $11 million from a purported Pakistani telemarketing company.
  • He agreed to forfeit more than $46 million already seized from ten bank accounts and faces up to 20 years in prison at sentencing.
  • Co-defendant Syed Mehdi Hussain, indicted with Kablazada in May 2025, is not addressed in this guilty-plea announcement, leaving his case status unclear.

Syed Murtuza Kablazada Defendant, Indian national living in IllinoisSyed Mehdi Hussain Co-defendant indicted in May 2025Colin M. McDonald Assistant Attorney General, DOJ National Fraud Enforcement DivisionJ.D. Vance Vice President, chairs Task Force to Eliminate Fraud

Illinois man pleads guilty in $227M Medicare COVID-test fraud scheme
x.com

How it unfolded 2 developments, newest first · click a bar or a number to jump articlesposts

Peak 1 piece in two hours at Oct 30, 8 PM; 2 pieces over 9 days (1 article · 1 post) Oct 30, 8 PM — 1 piece · 1 post — X 1Oct 30, 10 PM — quietOct 31, 12 AM — quietOct 31, 2 AM — quietOct 31, 4 AM — quietOct 31, 6 AM — quietOct 31, 8 AM — quietOct 31, 10 AM — quietOct 31, 12 PM — quietOct 31, 2 PM — quietOct 31, 4 PM — quietOct 31, 6 PM — quietOct 31, 8 PM — quietOct 31, 10 PM — quietNov 1, 12 AM — quietNov 1, 1 AM — quietNov 1, 3 AM — quietNov 1, 5 AM — quietNov 1, 7 AM — quietNov 1, 9 AM — quietNov 1, 11 AM — quietNov 1, 1 PM — quietNov 1, 3 PM — quietNov 1, 5 PM — quietNov 1, 7 PM — quietNov 1, 9 PM — quietNov 1, 11 PM — quietNov 2, 1 AM — quietNov 2, 3 AM — quietNov 2, 5 AM — quietNov 2, 7 AM — quietNov 2, 9 AM — quietNov 2, 11 AM — quietNov 2, 1 PM — quietNov 2, 3 PM — quietNov 2, 5 PM — quietNov 2, 7 PM — quietNov 2, 9 PM — quietNov 2, 11 PM — quietNov 3, 1 AM — quietNov 3, 3 AM — quietNov 3, 5 AM — quietNov 3, 7 AM — quietNov 3, 9 AM — quietNov 3, 11 AM — 1 piece · 1 article — Newswires 1Nov 3, 1 PM — quietNov 3, 3 PM — quietNov 3, 5 PM — quietNov 3, 7 PM — quietNov 3, 9 PM — quietNov 3, 11 PM — quietNov 4, 1 AM — quietNov 4, 3 AM — quietNov 4, 5 AM — quietNov 4, 7 AM — quietNov 4, 9 AM — quietNov 4, 11 AM — quietNov 4, 1 PM — quietNov 4, 3 PM — quietNov 4, 5 PM — quietNov 4, 7 PM — quietNov 4, 9 PM — quietNov 4, 11 PM — quietNov 5, 1 AM — quietNov 5, 3 AM — quietNov 5, 5 AM — quietNov 5, 7 AM — quietNov 5, 9 AM — quietNov 5, 11 AM — quietNov 5, 1 PM — quietNov 5, 3 PM — quietNov 5, 5 PM — quietNov 5, 7 PM — quietNov 5, 9 PM — quietNov 5, 11 PM — quietNov 6, 1 AM — quietNov 6, 3 AM — quietNov 6, 5 AM — quietNov 6, 7 AM — quietNov 6, 9 AM — quietNov 6, 11 AM — quietNov 6, 1 PM — quietNov 6, 3 PM — quietNov 6, 5 PM — quietNov 6, 7 PM — quietNov 6, 9 PM — quietNov 6, 11 PM — quietYesterday, 1 AM — quietYesterday, 3 AM — quietYesterday, 5 AM — quietYesterday, 7 AM — quietYesterday, 9 AM — quietYesterday, 11 AM — quietYesterday, 1 PM — quietYesterday, 3 PM — quietYesterday, 5 PM — quietYesterday, 7 PM — quietYesterday, 9 PM — quietYesterday, 11 PM — quietToday, 1 AM — quietToday, 3 AM — quietToday, 5 AM — quietToday, 7 AM — quietToday, 9 AM — quiet 12
Oct 31Nov 1Nov 2Nov 3Nov 4Nov 5Nov 6yesterdaynow · 10:27 AM ET
  1. 2

    Details emerge on $11M Pakistani data purchase and forfeiture

    ZeroHedge reported new details from the plea announcement: Kablazada paid about $11 million to a purported Pakistani telemarketing firm for beneficiary data, bought three Chicago-area labs starting January 2023, and agreed to forfeit more than $46 million seized from ten bank accounts.

    “Syed Murtuza Kablazada, an Indian national residing in Des Plaines, Illinois, caused the submission of $227 million in false and fraudulent claims to Medicare for test kits that he knew were never requested by or shipped to the Medicare beneficiaries.”
    — Department of Justice, Prosecuting agency · source
    1. 1 outlet Indian National Pleads Guilty In $227 Million COVID Test Scam, Bought Data From Pakistani Firm

      first by ZeroHedge, 4d ago

  2. 3 days quiet
  3. 1

    Social media post amplifies guilty plea with deportation demand

    A widely shared post on X summarized the plea and called for prison and deportation, drawing over 7,000 reposts/likes and hundreds of comments.

    “🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: An Indian national living in Illinois just pleaded GUILTY to ripping off Medicare for $227 MILLION, billing taxpayers for COVID test kits that seniors never asked for and never got Prison and deport!”
    — @EricLDaugh

    • 🚨 IT'S OFFICIAL: An Indian national living in Illinois just pleaded GUILTY to ripping off Medicare for $227 MILLION, billing taxpayers for COVID test kits that seniors never asked for and never got Prison and deport! According to DOJ, Syed Murtuza Kablazada paid about $11

      @EricLDaughX8d ago7.1k▲view on X ↗
  4. background

    Kablazada pleads guilty to two counts of health care fraud — Kablazada pleaded guilty to a scheme that billed Medicare $227 million for COVID-19 test kits that beneficiaries never ordered or received, of which Medicare paid about $136 million; he faces up to 20 years in prison.

  5. background

    DOJ indicts Kablazada and Hussain over Medicare billing scheme — The Justice Department announced an indictment against Kablazada, then 34, and Syed Mehdi Hussain, 32, each facing four counts, alleging their Chicago-area labs billed Medicare for test kits beneficiaries never requested, including for deceased people, and used foreign nationals as nominee owners.