A fake name and a counterfeit passport could only take him so far.
Khalid Ahmed Satary, a fugitive accused of masterminding a staggering $547 million Medicare fraud scheme, was captured in the Middle East on Monday after spending more than three years on the run, the Justice Department announced.
Satary, 54, allegedly turned cancer genetic testing into a taxpayer-funded gold mine.
Federal prosecutors say his network recruited Medicare beneficiaries for expensive genetic tests that were medically unnecessary, then billed the government as much as $20,000 for each sample.
Between 2016 and 2019, laboratories owned or operated by Satary allegedly submitted more than $547 million in Medicare claims. The Justice Department described it as one of the largest health care fraud schemes it has ever charged.
Prosecutors say Satary worked with dozens of patient recruiters, telemarketing call centers and telemedicine companies to reel in patients. The sprawling operation allegedly relied on deceptive advertising and millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks and bribes paid to doctors and recruiters.
A federal grand jury in Louisiana indicted Satary in 2019. Authorities seized 16 bank accounts and restrained real estate connected to the case.
Satary was released on bond over the government’s objections and ordered to stay out of the health care business while awaiting trial.
Prosecutors say he did anything but.
Satary allegedly began working with laboratories in Houston to continue submitting fraudulent genetic-testing claims to Medicare. He then failed to appear for a court hearing and fled the country, according to the Justice Department.
A federal arrest warrant was issued in December 2022.
The FBI placed Satary on its newly created Most Wanted Fraudsters List on June 23. Regional authorities caught him less than a month later, allegedly carrying a fake Mexican passport issued under an assumed name.
Satary was transferred to US custody and made his first court appearance Tuesday in the Eastern District of Virginia.
“The arrest of Khalid Ahmed Satary and return to the U.S. is the third Most Wanted Fraudster capture from this FBI and our partners in just 5 weeks – continuing the historic run of success for this new initiative,” FBI Director Kash Patel said.
The arrest of Khalid Ahmed Satary and return to the U.S. is the third Most Wanted Fraudster capture from this FBI and our partners in just 5 weeks – continuing the historic run of success for this new initiative.
Satary was indicted in 2019 on charges on Health Care Fraud… pic.twitter.com/QkJxTN8dtZ
— FBI Director Kash Patel (@FBIDirectorKash) July 21, 2026
Satary faces charges including conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, conspiracy to defraud the United States and pay or receive illegal health care kickbacks, and conspiracy to commit money laundering.
The most serious charges carry maximum penalties of 20 years in prison if he is convicted. Any sentence would be determined by a federal judge.
More over at The New York Post:
FBI captures fugitive on 'Most Wanted Fraudsters' list who allegedly led $547M Medicare scheme https://t.co/GtYsKLdcG7 pic.twitter.com/qkxMLNLPsj
— New York Post (@nypost) July 21, 2026
