Ciera Washington, age 35, of the Bronx, New York; Raven White, age 35, of the Bronx; and Bryan Otero, age 36, of Wood-Ridge, New Jersey, have been arrested on an indictment charging them with healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud conspiracy, and aggravated identity theft.

The indictment alleges that between April 2023 and October 2024, White and Otero provided Washington with the names, dates of birth, and Medicaid identification numbers of various people.  Washington used that information to submit fraudulent prescriptions to numerous pharmacies, including in the Northern District of New York.  The conspirators then dispatched rideshare drivers to the pharmacies to pick up the medications, whose costs were substantially covered by Medicaid.  Washington directed the stolen medications to be delivered to Otero or other buyers, who paid Washington. The charges in the indictment are merely accusations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.

New York State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli said, “Ciera Washington, Raven White and Bryan Otero are alleged to have callously preyed upon vulnerable New Yorkers in a complex scheme to defraud our state’s Medicaid system and illegally peddle drugs. Medicaid fraud undermines a vital program that provides health care to people in need. My thanks to Acting U.S. Attorney Sarcone, the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Department of Health and Human Services for their partnership in protecting Medicaid’s integrity and bringing these individuals to justice.”

Acting United States Attorney John A. Sarcone III said, “As alleged, these defendants stole identities, submitted fraudulent prescriptions, got Medicaid to pay for those fraudulent prescriptions, and then sold the prescribed drugs. This was an abuse of the system on multiple levels, across several states. Working with our law enforcement partners, we have stopped this pernicious scheme. The perpetrators will now be held fully accountable.” 

FBI Special Agent in Charge Craig L. Tremaroli, Albany Field Office, said, “The alleged fraud in this case was widespread, compromising not just personally identifiable information of our citizens, but also exploiting Medicaid and our healthcare systems. The FBI will continue to work with all our federal law enforcement partners to investigate and bring to justice anyone looking to defraud valuable government programs meant to help those in need in order to line their own pockets.”

Special Agent in Charge Naomi Gruchacz with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG) said, “The defendants in this case perpetrated multiple avenues of fraud against the Medicaid program by stealing beneficiary information and causing false claims to be submitted for transportation and medications, which were diverted and sold. HHS-OIG will continue to work with our law enforcement partners to ensure the integrity of the federal health care system and hold accountable those engaging in fraud that targets its programs.”

The healthcare fraud and conspiracy charges filed against the defendants carry a maximum term of 20 years in prison, a fine of up to twice the loss amount, and a term of supervised release of up to 3 years; and the aggravated identity theft charges carry a mandatory two-year prison term that must run consecutively to any other prison term.  A defendant’s sentence is imposed by a judge based on the particular statutes the defendant is convicted of violating, the U.S. Sentencing Guidelines and other factors.

The FBI, HHS-OIG, and the New York State Comptroller are investigating the case, which Assistant U.S. Attorney Jonathan S. Reiner is prosecuting.

Since taking office in 2007, DiNapoli has committed to fighting public corruption and encourages the public to help fight fraud and abuse. New Yorkers can report allegations of fraud involving taxpayer money by calling the toll-free Fraud Hotline at 1-888-672-4555, by emailing a complaint to [email protected] or by mailing a complaint to: Office of the State Comptroller, Division of Investigations, 8th Floor, 110 State St., Albany, NY 12236.