Thirteen Indiana residents, including Jeffersonville’s Rachel Goldstein, were arrested in what the FBI and U.S. Justice Department have called the largest healthcare fraud investigation in DOJ history.
Announced Monday, the annual National Health Care Fraud Takedown uncovered schemes involving more than $14.6 billion in intended losses, marking this year’s investigation as the biggest ever. In total, 324 individuals were charged nationwide, including 96 licensed medical professionals such as doctors, nurses, and pharmacists.
Of those charged, 13 are from Indiana — 11 in state court and two federally indicted. Their alleged crimes range from veterinary fraud to selling prescription opioids on the black market.
Rachel Goldstein, 43, faces federal charges in the Western District of Kentucky for conspiracy to obtain controlled substances by fraud. Court papers reveal Goldstein conspired with doctors to get over 25,000 Schedule II drugs like oxycodone and hydrocodone prescribed, claiming they were for pets—some deceased or fictitious—but actually kept the drugs herself. She also allegedly committed healthcare fraud by using fake prescriptions for dextroamphetamine and selling the drug back to a prescribing doctor, submitting fraudulent Medicaid claims.
The second Indiana resident federally charged is Evelyn Onukwube, 53, a licensed pharmacist from Noblesville. Indicted in Texas, Onukwube allegedly stole half a million opioids and sold them via pharmacies in Houston, generating an estimated $8 million in street value. She is accused of conspiring with others to illegally distribute controlled substances.
The remaining 11 Indiana residents face state charges involving prescription fraud, theft, and Medicaid scams. Among them are registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, medication aides, and personal care attendants accused of diverting medications, submitting false claims, or stealing from patients in healthcare facilities across the state.
Officials including FBI Deputy Director Dan Bongino and Indiana Attorney General Todd Rokita have vowed to aggressively pursue healthcare fraud offenders. Rokita emphasized the importance of protecting Medicaid, a vital resource for many Hoosiers, stating there is zero tolerance for those who abuse the system.
At a DOJ news conference, Matthew Galeotti, head of the criminal division, called this a decisive moment in protecting taxpayers and the integrity of the healthcare system, stressing that fraud steals directly from hardworking Americans.
