Four locals arrested in crackdown on Medicare fraud

MIAMI, FL The investigation targeted alleged schemes to defraud Medicare in Houston, Miami, New York City, Detroit and Baton Rouge.

The FBI Houston office charged Melvin Barnes and Johnny Andrews of Houston, and Monica Perry and Marion Metoyer of Louisiana with recruiting Medicare recipients for a local company called Tonni Medical Equipment and Supplies with offices around Houston.

An indictment connected the defendants to a $3 million scheme involving fraudulent claims for medical equipment.

"If you engage in this, if you steal in essence from the American people among the most vital of programs, you will go to jail. That is the message: You will go to jail," said U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder.

The overall crackdown involved fraud scams totaling $251 million.