In the United States, Georgian citizen Erekle Gugava has been charged with conspiracy to launder funds obtained as a result of a $1.3 billion healthcare fraud.
According to the US Department of Justice the 33-year-old Gugava was a participant in the largest fraud in the country's history in this sector.
According to the investigation, from February to July 2025, Gugava was the owner of ND Medical Solutions, a medical equipment supplier in Pennsylvania. Over a five-month period, the company submitted false invoices to Medicare and private insurance companies in the amount of at least $1.3 billion. Insurers managed to pay about $6.5 million.
According to the indictment, Gugava opened bank accounts for the company, received insurance payments on them, and then transferred the funds to the foreign accounts of the organizers of the scheme. According to the Justice Department, the crime was carried out by “an international organization based in Russia and other countries.” The investigation has been dubbed Operation Gold Rush.
The fraudsters used stolen personal information from Americans, including the elderly and disabled, to create fake accounts.
Some of them learned about the fraud after receiving insurance reports that said they had been provided with wheelchairs and other medical equipment, when in fact they had not received anything and had not consulted the doctors listed on the documents.
Gugawa left the United States in July 2025. He faces up to 20 years in prison.
