3 men behind $2B healthcare fraud sentenced to prison – but kingpin remains on the loose
By Ben Kochman
Published May 19, 2026, 7:50 p.m. ET
Three men are headed to prison for their roles in an elaborate international scheme to con health insurers by sending $2 billion of phony telemedicine prescriptions – but the plot’s alleged kingpin is on the lam.
Anthony Santamaria, 33, was sentenced Tuesday to serve 10 years behind bars – and forfeit $3.2 million – for his role in a massive insurance scam between 2017 and 2022, federal prosecutors said.
Two other fraudsters, 33-year-old Hershel Tsikman and 48-year-old Hafizullah Ebady, were sentenced earlier this month to 10 and eight years in prison, respectively, for their roles in the scheme, according to the US Department of Justice.
Private health insurers were conned out of $758 million due to the more than $1.97 of phony prescriptions, the DOJ said.
But Brian Sutton, 32, a US citizen and leader of the Russia-based criminal crew that allegedly orchestrated the plot, remains at large, government officials said.
https://nypost.com/2026/05/19/us-news/three-men-headed-to-prison-for-2b-healthcare-fraud-but-kingpin-is-in-the-wind/
