On September 23, 2025, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced that its Health Care Fraud Unit’s New England Strike Force (“the Strike Force”) will expand its reach to the District of Massachusetts.
Understanding the Strike Force
The New England Health Care Fraud Strike Force is a specialized DOJ team created to investigate and prosecute complex health care fraud. It combines prosecutors from the DOJ’s Criminal Division with agents from several federal agencies. This includes the FBI, HHS-OIG, FDA, and IRS Criminal Investigation. The Strike Force model relies on interagency coordination, data analytics, and focused expertise to uncover large-scale fraud schemes involving providers, corporations, and executives. It recently resolved a case against Kimberly-Clark Corporation, which paid $40.4 million for selling adulterated surgical gowns.
This expansion signals that the federal government is continuing, and maybe even enhancing, its aggressive stance on health care fraud. Healthcare fraud impacts numerous agencies and each is stepping up to boost enforcement:
Protecting the public from harm caused by criminal misconduct involving drugs and medical devices is a priority for the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)… . The expansion of the Strike Force into Boston, a vital hub for life sciences, will enable more robust and coordinated efforts to dismantle criminal networks that introduce unlawful medical products into the market, ultimately protecting patient health and trust in our healthcare system.
Special Agent in Charge Fernando McMillan of the FDA Office of Criminal Investigations New York Field Office
Why Massachusetts?
This move brings additional investigative and prosecutorial firepower to one of the nation’s most influential health care and life sciences regions. Massachusetts is a national hub for hospitals, research institutions, and biotech companies. It attracts enormous investments and drives medical innovation. But where there is more money in health care, there is also more opportunity for fraud. With the Strike Force’s expansion, DOJ is signaling that it will move faster and hit harder against both individual wrongdoers and corporations operating at the expense of patients and taxpayers.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office Health Care Fraud Unit has a strong record, recovering more than $450 million last year alone. As U.S. Attorney Leah B. Foley for the District of Massachusetts, notes:
The U.S. Attorney’s Office in Massachusetts has a long history of leading the nation in health care fraud enforcement. The unique partnership between our criminal and civil health care fraud enforcement matters has led to groundbreaking and historic enforcement success and industrywide changes. The Office has cracked down on fraud committed by pharmaceutical companies and medical device manufacturers as well as unethical doctors and corporate executives who put greed ahead of patient safety and steal from government programs.
The Strike Force model will act as a force multiplier, increasing resources and promoting even greater successes.
What the Strike Force Means for Whistleblowers
We agree wholeheartedly with the U.S. Attorney! The District of Massachusetts has been a leader in health care fraud enforcement for many years, dating back to when WLC’s own Suzanne Durrell supervised and prosecuted the office’s growing qui tam and False Claims Act practice from 1989 to 2002. The Office has benefitted from a steady stream of deeply committed attorneys and staff members who have delivered incredible results, including numerous matters brought by WLC clients. In the past five years alone, for example, cases that we have filed in the District of Massachusetts have led to numerous recoveries, including:
- $234 million recovery from a pharmaceutical company
- $16 million recovery from a device maker
- $13.125 million recovery from a pharmaceutical wholesaler
- $10 million recovery from a clinical laboratory
- $5.7 million recovery from a local medical center
For insiders considering coming forward, the takeaway is clear. The government is investing heavily in Massachusetts, and whistleblower reports have a stronger chance than ever of leading to real enforcement and substantial recoveries. We are here, based in Boston, and ready to assist in this important fight.
If you have information about possible health care fraud, please contact us for a free consultation. We have expertise and a desire to help.
