The White House “Fraud Ledger”: What the Numbers Show and What to Do If Federal Investigators Contact You

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The federal government now publishes a running scorecard of its anti-fraud enforcement. The White House’s “Fraud Ledger,” at whitehouse.gov/fraud, describes itself as a public record of fraud, waste, and corruption identified by the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud since January 2025. The Task Force was established by Executive Order 14395 on March 16, 2026.

For physicians and practice owners, recipients of pandemic-era loans, government contractors, and the executives who lead those organizations, these figures are more than statistics. They indicate where federal agencies report concentrating their investigative and enforcement resources.

What the Fraud Ledger Is

The Ledger combines agency-reported totals, a list of “top ten” actions drawn from what the page calls the White House’s August 2026 report, and a dated record of individual enforcement actions sourced from a May 26, 2026, White House release and agency announcements. According to the page, each partner agency reported three figures:

  • Fraud uncovered. Total estimated fraud identified through data analysis.
  • Fraud stopped. Dollars saved annually through administrative actions such as provider suspensions and rule changes.
  • Fraud enforced. Dollars recovered through indictments, settlements, and civil monetary penalties.

These are government-reported figures. “Uncovered” is expressly labeled an estimate, and an entry on the Ledger is not a finding that any particular person or business committed fraud.

The Numbers (as of September 26, 2026)

As of September 26, 2026, the Ledger reported:

  • $260.7 billion in fraud uncovered since January 2025 (estimated)
  • $72 billion in fraud stopped per year (annualized)
  • $58.9 billion in fraud enforced through indictments and settlements
  • 25 documented actions (charges, suspensions, and policies)

The largest agency-reported figures:

Agency Uncovered Stopped / yr Enforced
HHS (incl. CMS) $96.4B $46.2B $33.1B
SBA $122.9B $1.3B $22.6B
DOL $20.9B $11.8B $1.6B
GSA $13.9B $202.6M $29.5M

The Ledger’s summary of Department of Justice and FBI activity reports 109 defendants charged with $5.4 billion in intended loss, 152 guilty pleas or convictions, and 116 defendants sentenced to a combined 4,862 months in prison.

The totals have risen since the site launched. The White House’s August 6, 2026, release cited “nearly $230 billion” uncovered, $56 billion stopped, and “more than $55 billion” enforced.

Who Faces the Greatest Exposure

Based on the Ledger’s own data, enforcement activity is concentrated in the following areas:

  • Medicare and Medicaid providers, particularly hospice, home health, and durable medical equipment (DME) suppliers. The Ledger reports nationwide six-month moratoria on new hospice, home health, and DME providers, and states that CMS eliminated 800 hospice and home health providers and 900 DME providers.
  • Pandemic loan recipients. The Ledger reports that SBA referred 562,000 borrowers with $22.2 billion in PPP funds to Treasury for collection. For California, it lists 115,879 PPP-related suspensions tied to $8.7 billion.
  • Government contractors. The Ledger lists $6.3 billion in suspected fraudulent government contracts and states that an investigation of recipient businesses followed.
  • Recipients of other federal program funds, including SNAP retailers, unemployment insurance, student aid, and housing and disaster-relief funds.

California is a focus

The Ledger lists deferrals of over $2 billion in California Medicaid federal funding. It also lists the suspension of 447 hospices and 23 home health agencies in Los Angeles, a guilty plea in a nearly $270 million Orange County reimbursement case, and a DOJ West Coast Strike Force covering Arizona, Nevada, and northern California. We did not identify any entry naming San Diego specifically.

What Enforcement Looks Like

Federal fraud matters rarely begin with an arrest. More often, the first sign is one of the following:

  • Payment suspensions or billing revocations by CMS or a state Medicaid agency.
  • Administrative suspension or debarment from federal programs, or referral of a debt to Treasury.
  • Civil investigative demands under the False Claims Act, or subpoenas, including grand jury subpoenas.
  • Agent visits, often unannounced, from the FBI, HHS-OIG, SBA-OIG, or other inspectors general.
  • Target letters advising that a person is a focus of a grand jury investigation.
  • Indictments, frequently charging health care fraud, wire fraud, false statements, or conspiracy.
  • False Claims Act settlements, which can involve treble damages and per-claim penalties.

Civil and criminal tracks can proceed simultaneously. A statement made in an “informal” interview can be used in either.

Practical Steps If Federal Investigators Make Contact

Decline interviews without counsel

You may politely decline an interview and request the agent’s contact information. False statements to federal agents are a separate offense under 18 U.S.C. § 1001.

Preserve records

Suspend routine deletion of email, text messages, billing data, and files.

Never destroy, alter, or backdate documents

Obstruction charges can be more serious than the underlying allegation.

Avoid contact with potential witnesses

Do not discuss the investigation with potential witnesses.

Retain experienced federal defense counsel promptly

Early counsel can assess exposure, respond to subpoenas or civil investigative demands, and communicate with the government on your behalf.

What This Is—and Is Not

This post summarizes publicly posted government figures as of the date above. It does not evaluate the accuracy of those figures or the merits of any case. Allegations and charges are not proof of guilt.

The Law Office of Vikas Bajaj, APC, focuses on high-stakes federal criminal defense in San Diego and beyond, including white-collar and fraud defense. If you have received a subpoena, target letter, payment suspension, or contact from a federal agent, call 619-525-7005 to arrange a confidential consultation. The firm is located at 2150 First Avenue, Suite 200, San Diego, CA 92101. For readers following federal charging and enforcement trends, additional firm analysis appears on the bajajlaw.com legal blog.

Disclaimer

This post is for general informational purposes only. It is not legal advice and does not create an attorney-client relationship. Every investigation turns on its own facts. Consult qualified counsel about your specific situation.

Sources

  1. The White House — The Fraud Ledger (retrieved Sept. 26, 2026, 10:40 a.m. PT; rechecked 10:50 a.m. PT)
  2. The White House — Fraud.gov: Track the Trump Administration’s Relentless War on Fraud (Aug. 6, 2026)
  3. The White House — Trump Administration’s Full-Scale War on Fraud (May 26, 2026)
  4. Executive Order 14395, Establishing the Task Force to Eliminate Fraud (Mar. 16, 2026)
  5. U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California — Press release: Orange County guilty plea in nearly $270 million reimbursement fraud scheme (as linked from the Fraud Ledger)
  6. 18 U.S.C. § 1001 (false statements)
  7. 31 U.S.C. §§ 3729–3733 (False Claims Act)