Azerbaijani National Indicted in $90 Million Medicare Advantage Fraud Scheme

Federal prosecutors in the Northern District of California say 38-year-old Azerbaijani national Anar Rustamov has been indicted on health care fraud charges in an alleged scheme that sought more than $90 million from Medicare Advantage plans using thousands of bogus medical equipment claims. According to the indictment, from October 2024 through June 2025 Rustamov used a company he formed, Dublin Helping Hand, while living in Sunnyvale, California, to bill for blood glucose monitors, orthotic braces and other equipment that was not provided, not medically necessary, or not approved by a provider. The Justice Department says patient identities were used without their knowledge and that the listed referring provider did not authorize the claims, highlighting yet another case where stolen beneficiary data is weaponized against federal health programs. Rustamov, who DOJ says is a foreign national from Azerbaijan who may have entered the U.S. illegally, remains at large, and faces up to 20 years in prison and a $250,000 fine per count if convicted. The case fits a broader federal "war on fraud" push targeting Medicare Advantage and durable-medical-equipment scams that ultimately drive up costs for taxpayers and seniors.