Ex-California resident charged in $90M Medicare Advantage fraud scheme, feds say

A foreign national suspected of entering the United States illegally has been charged in a fraud scheme that allegedly attempted to steal more than $90 million in federal health care funds distributed through the Medicare Advantage program, according to the Justice Department.

Anar Rustamov, 38, was indicted by a federal grand jury last week and charged with health care fraud for a scheme involving thousands of false claims for medical equipment totaling more than $90 million, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California said in a press release.

He previously lived in Sunnyvale, California, and is a foreign national from Azerbaijan who may have entered the United States illegally, according to the release.

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Rustamov was allegedly part of a scheme to submit thousands of fraudulent claims to Medicare Advantage Organizations on behalf of unsuspecting beneficiaries for medical equipment like blood glucose monitors and orthotic braces, the release states.

The indictment alleges that from October 2024 through June 2025, Rustamov used a company he created, Dublin Helping Hand, to submit large volumes of claims to Medicare Advantage Organizations offering benefit plans.

The scheme allegedly sought reimbursement of more than $90 million for medical equipment that was not provided, not needed by patients or not approved by a medical provider, according to the indictment.

The listed patients were unaware that their information was used to submit the claims, and the referring medical provider listed on the submissions did not authorize the claims, the indictment alleges.

Rustamov remains at large, according to federal officials.

“When the Administration declared a War on Fraud, it meant to target exactly this kind of conduct. Rustamov participated in a scheme to steal nearly $100 million in taxpayer funds from a program intended to help those who truly need medical care,” U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California Craig H. Missakian said in a statement.

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“Anyone who believes they can make easy money by defrauding such programs should know that we will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to identify, investigate, and prosecute such fraud and abuse,” he continued.

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If convicted, Rustamov could face a maximum sentence of 20 years in prison and a fine of $250,000 for each violation.