Trump Administration Fraud Task Force Launches Raids in California, Suspending 221 Providers in Los Angeles Area
The raids resulted in multiple arrests and the immediate suspension of 221 hospice and healthcare providers in Los Angeles County — a more than 200% increase in suspensions in just one week.
Tommy Flynn
WASHINGTON – Federal agents conducted early-morning raids across the Los Angeles area on April 2, 2026, as part of Vice President JD Vance’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, targeting widespread suspected fraud in hospice and healthcare programs.
The raids resulted in multiple arrests and the immediate suspension of 221 hospice and healthcare providers in Los Angeles County — a more than 200% increase in suspensions in just one week. Authorities say the operations focused on fraudulent billing schemes that allegedly bilked taxpayers out of millions through fake or unnecessary services in federally funded programs.
The actions mark the first major enforcement operation in California by the task force Trump established by executive order on March 16, 2026. Vance chairs the interagency group, which coordinates efforts across the Departments of Justice, Health and Human Services, Treasury, and other agencies to combat fraud in Medicaid, Medicare, SNAP, housing assistance, and other benefit programs.
Vance has repeatedly highlighted California as a major focus. In recent public statements, he noted that fraud in the state dwarfs problems uncovered in Minnesota, citing Small Business Administration findings of approximately $7 billion in fraudulent payments in California. “I think we have a fraud problem that is much worse in California than it is in Minnesota,” Vance said earlier this year. He has described the task force’s work in the state as part of a broader national crackdown on waste that has cost taxpayers billions.
The latest raids follow months of task force investigations into California’s hospice industry, where officials allege some providers billed for patients who were not terminally ill or never received services. Fox News reported that the suspensions and arrests are part of an aggressive push that has already led to significant enforcement actions in Los Angeles.
Trump established the task force after high-profile fraud cases in Minnesota, including the Feeding Our Future scandal, and directed it to target vulnerabilities in Democratic-led states with weak oversight. The executive order specifically called out California, Illinois, New York, Maine, and Colorado as areas of concern.
No official comment from California Governor Gavin Newsom’s office was immediately available on the raids. The state has previously pushed back against federal fraud investigations, calling them politically motivated.
The operation underscores the administration’s priority on rooting out fraud in federal benefit programs. Vance and task force officials have said more actions are expected as investigations expand across California and other states. The raids mark the beginning of what the administration describes as a nationwide “war on fraud” to protect taxpayer dollars and ensure benefits reach only eligible Americans.