India, Oct. 31 -- An Indian national living in Des Plaines, Illinois, has pleaded guilty to his role in a $227 million Medicare fraud scheme. Personal information of hundreds of thousands of Medicare beneficiaries was used to submit false claims for COVID-19 test kits that were never requested or delivered, the US Department of Justice (DOJ) announced.

According to the DOJ, Syed Murtuza Kablazada, 36, admitted that he participated in the healthcare fraud scheme, which generated approximately $136 million in Medicare payments through fraudulent claims. Prosecutors said that the operation relied on personally identifiable information purchased from a company based in Pakistan.

Kablazada pleaded guilty to two counts of healthcare fraud in ...