OC fraudster admits to submitting $270 million in bogus claims to Medi-Cal

An Orange County man and his accomplices have been busted in a $270 million Medi-Cal fraud scheme, as officers proceed to crack down on abuse of taxpayer {dollars} in California.

Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange pleaded responsible to submitting the bogus claims to Medi-Cal over an 11-month span for dear pharmaceuticals that contained generic substances that sufferers both didn’t want or by no means acquired, the Division of Justice introduced on Monday.

Randall pleaded responsible to at least one depend of wire fraud dedicated whereas on launch. He’s been in custody since June 2025.

The DOJ stated Randall together with Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and Patricia Anderson, 58, of West Hills, took benefit of Medi-Cal’s earlier suspension of a previous authorization requirement that well being care suppliers receive earlier than offering sure well being care providers or medicines as a situation of reimbursement, per the press launch.

“This defendant used a public well being program as his private piggy financial institution,” First Assistant U.S. Lawyer Invoice Essayli stated.

 “This responsible plea ought to ship a message that this administration — in step with the President’s struggle on fraud — is not going to flip a blind eye whereas criminals fleece taxpayers.”

Assistant Lawyer Common A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Division’s Legal Division stated Randall was a “repeat fraudster who induced Medi-Cal, a program designed to assist these in want, to be billed almost $270 million for costly and medically pointless medicines.”

“He and his co-schemers stole over $178 million via false and fraudulent claims for these medicines, lining their very own pockets with public funds. The Legal Division will aggressively prosecute those that defraud Medicaid and exploit taxpayer-funded profit packages,” Duva stated.

The DOJ stated that Randall alongside along with his co-schemers, via a enterprise known as Monte Vista Pharmacies, exploited Medi-Cal’s prior authorization suspension by billing Medi-Cal tens of thousands and thousands of {dollars} per thirty days for meting out high-reimbursement, non-contracted, generic medication via Monte Vista Pharmacy.

From Might 2022 to April 2023, the pharmacy billed Medi-Cal greater than $269 million and was paid greater than $178 million for 19 costly, non-contracted medication containing low-cost, generic substances that weren’t medically mandatory, not offered, or each, the discharge added.

The division stated the three laundered the cash they received via the illicit medication via a 3rd social gathering to pay kickbacks to Anderson, to cover their scheme from detection.

“Schemes that invoice Medicaid for expensive medication that sufferers by no means wanted or acquired threaten the integrity of this system,” Appearing Deputy Inspector Common for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Division of Well being and Human Companies, Workplace of Inspector Common (HHS-OIG) stated.  

Mekail pleaded responsible in August 2024 to 2 counts of well being care fraud and awaits sentencing. Anderson is charged with two counts of well being care fraud.

Randall’s sentencing listening to is scheduled for August 3. He may face a most of 30 years in federal lockup.

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