A top federal prosecutor in Southern California told Fox News that the state has transformed into a "fraudster’s paradise," accusing state leaders of allowing millions of dollars in fraud.Speaking on "Saturday in America," First Assistant U.S.Attorney for the Central District of California Bill Essayli highlighted a string of federal busts, including a $45 million Medicare Botox scam.
He added that federal investigators "will not hesitate" to prosecute any officials found to be enabling the fraud."California is truly the fraudster's paradise," Essayli said Saturday, later adding, "It's very hard to tell sometimes if it truly is just massive incompetence or corruption, and that's a very fine line sometimes.""If we ever develop evidence that there are people inside the government who are benefiting from the fraud or who are enabling the fraud, we will not hesitate to charge them," he said.CALIFORNIA DOCTOR CONVICTED OF $45M MEDICARE FRAUD SCHEME THAT FUNDED LUXURY VACATIONS AND A $12K CROSSBOWBill Essayli, first assistant U.S.attorney for the Central District of California, answered questions during a news conference outside the San Bernardino County Sheriff’s Department on April 10, 2026, in Rancho Cucamonga, California.
(Anjali Sharif-Paul, The Sun/ via Getty Images)Essayli said new leadership at the Justice Department is "laser-focused" on going after those committing fraud and saving the American people money.He discussed cases in his district, including what the FBI in Los Angeles called the "largest Botox fraud scheme in the United States."Violetta Mailyan, a doctor in California, was convicted in a $45 million scheme to defraud Medicare by submitting claims for Botox injections that either were not given or were unnecessary."The Botox scheme was a conviction right here in Los Angeles, and we're going after those assets.
We're [going to] get probably $20 million of her assets returned to the taxpayers after that conviction," he said.VANCE ANTI-FRAUD TASK ...