Two Charged in $35M Medicaid Fraud Scheme

Two men from Long Island have been charged federally in connection with a scheme that allegedly defrauded Medicaid of over $35 million. The owners of Tri-Hamlet Taxi Inc., Saad Aziz, 52, and Zabed Chowdhury, 49, face serious charges including health care fraud, money laundering conspiracies, and kickback schemes, following an indictment that was filed on July 1, 2026. According to prosecutors from the Eastern District of New York, the fraud took place from January 2019 until October 2025.

The indictment claims that the defendants engaged in a systematic approach to defraud Medicaid by not only billing for rides to methadone clinics that were never provided but also inflating the distances of genuine rides. They allegedly paid kickbacks to Medicaid beneficiaries, encouraging them to arrange for transportation that typically went unfulfilled. When rides were provided, the distances were exaggerated by routing passengers to treatment facilities far from their local area, including claims for trips exceeding 75 miles. Prosecutors noted that more than $18 million in false claims corresponded to these long-distance trips.

Another significant aspect of the fraud involved the diversion of the illicit earnings. It is alleged that Aziz and Chowdhury laundered the proceeds, investing about $6 million in various homes and other properties. If convicted, both men could face up to 20 years in prison along with the forfeiture of at least $35 million. It is important to note that under the law, they are presumed innocent until proven guilty.

In a separate area of the medical sector, researchers at the Lawson Research Institute, part of St. Joseph's Health Care London, propose that moments of deep connection with patients, referred to as 'sacred moments', could serve as a valuable tool against physician burnout. This idea stems from a study published in the Journal of General Internal Medicine, where the first author, psychologist Serena Wong, and her colleagues developed a conceptual model supported by evidence on the topic.

The research suggests that these fleeting moments of connection, wherein physicians feel awe or a sense of timelessness with their patients, are often overlooked but may have a significant positive impact on their emotional health and sense of meaning at work. A survey conducted as part of the study highlighted that approximately 67.7% of the 629 surveyed physicians reported having experienced a sacred moment with a patient; furthermore, 76% of those who did reported feeling less burned out. Despite these findings, it was noted that fewer than 5% of those physicians had ever shared their experiences with their colleagues, indicating a lack of communication on this important aspect of their work.

Wong emphasized that these sacred moments serve to remind clinicians of the deeper, more meaningful dimensions of patient care, which can become overshadowed by the hectic environment characteristic of many healthcare facilities. However, the authors of the study were quick to caution that these moments should not be viewed as a comprehensive solution to burnout.

In another noteworthy initiative, an innovative pilot program in Ohio is testing whether offering financial incentives to store owners can help reduce the prevalence of tobacco, alcohol, and lottery marketing in their communities. The project, managed by researchers at Ohio State University, is named Retailers Creating a Responsible Environment, or Retailers CARE. Rather than imposing financial penalties for continued advertising of these products, the program incentivizes retailers to voluntarily decrease their marketing presence.

During the pilot program, which took place from the fall of 2023 to the fall of 2024, seven out of 28 selected stores agreed to participate. The stores adopted progressively stricter standards, such as storing tobacco products behind the counter and making naloxone available on-site. Rewards ranged from $2,700 to $7,200, which owners utilized for various store improvements, including repairs to roofs, enhanced lighting, and redesigned counters.

Megan Roberts, the lead researcher on this operation, noted the encouraging early results. She stated that most participating stores were independently owned rather than chains, hinting at a willingness within the small business community to engage in the program. However, she cautioned that the pilot's limited scale necessitates further long-term evaluation to determine its actual impact on community health. Notably, the tobacco industry invests around $6 billion annually on in-store advertising and promotions, demonstrating the financial stakes involved in these marketing efforts.