97% Hospice Survival Sparks Fraud Arrests

Adriana Stone 0 1 min read

97% Hospice Survival Sparks Fraud Arrests

Federal agents say a Southern California hospice with a nearly 97% survival rate has been accused of running a Medicare fraud scheme. The arrests came after a months‑long probe into unusually high discharge rates at the facility.

Authorities allege the owners of 626 Hospice, doing business as St. Francis Palliative Care, billed Medicare for roughly $7.45 million. The operators named in charging documents are Gladwin and Amelou Gill. Eight people were charged in the case, according to the Justice Department.

Hospice care is meant for patients in the final stages of terminal illness. Most enter hospice and die there within weeks. So when records show almost every patient being discharged alive, investigators hear alarm bells.

Federal prosecutors describe the survival rate as a key red flag. Auditors and prior cases show that false certifications, stolen identities, or sham paperwork have been used before to collect federal reimbursements. Those are the kinds of practices investigators say they were looking for.

The FBI executed search warrants in San Dimas. Agents arrested some suspects in pre‑dawn actions. Officials called the operation “Operation Never Say Die.” The Justice Department later announced the criminal charges, saying the arrests are connected to a broader health care and hospice fraud investigation.

News coverage included a local Fox News report and a social media post that circulated footage from the scene. The following lines are quoted from that post:

Fox News: “80% of the people who enter hospice die there most within 3 weeks but in the case of these two hospices according to the records 97% are discharged alive.”“So this morning the feds accuse these hospice owners of stealing… pic.twitter.com/BYkcvzEaZP
— Sergeant News Network (@sgtnewsnetwork) April 3, 2026

Here is the embedded social post mentioned above:

These are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in court. Investigators say the case could point to wider abuse in hospice billing. Regulators will be watching this one closely.

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