前联邦检察官萨里塔·科马蒂雷迪承诺将为州欺诈调查部门增设20名刑事检察官
2026年6月27日 美国东部时间下午5:04 / 福克斯新闻
司法部就未成年人跨性别治疗事宜警告纽约州总检察长
福克斯新闻特约撰稿人乔纳森·特利在《福克斯与朋友们》节目中，就司法部就未成年人跨性别治疗事宜警告纽约州总检察长利蒂希娅·詹姆斯一事发表评论。
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共和党纽约州总检察长候选人萨里塔·科马蒂雷迪将打击医疗补助欺诈作为其竞选活动的核心议题，指责总检察长利蒂希娅·詹姆斯任内起诉案件数量大幅下滑。
在调查人员揭露明尼苏达州与公共援助项目相关的数十亿美元涉嫌欺诈案件后，打击医疗补助欺诈已成为美国国内的一个热点议题。这一丑闻推动特朗普政府将打击欺诈列为更高优先级事项，由副总统JD·万斯牵头开展联邦行动。如今，全美各地竞选活动中的共和党候选人——包括纽约州总检察长竞选者在内——都呼吁各州加大力度起诉医疗补助欺诈并追回纳税人资金。
在接受福克斯新闻数字频道采访时，科马蒂雷迪指责詹姆斯未能积极追查医疗补助欺诈，称纳税人可能因此损失数亿美元的追回款项。
“他们完全没有起诉医疗补助欺诈，仅凭利蒂希娅·詹姆斯及其民主党前任的履职记录就能看出这一点，”科马蒂雷迪说道，“这不是党派之争。”
纽约州总检察长共和党候选人萨里塔·科马蒂雷迪抨击总检察长詹姆斯未能充分调查和起诉医疗补助欺诈。（威尔·沃尔德隆/奥尔巴尼《时代联盟报》通过盖蒂图片社拍摄）
纽约州共和党人呼吁在明尼苏达州丑闻曝光后开展独立欺诈调查
科马蒂雷迪表示，根据纽约州总检察长办公室年度报告的数据，詹姆斯任内医疗补助欺诈追回款大幅下滑，从她就职第一年2019年的1.68亿美元，降至2024年的仅3100万美元。
在詹姆斯就职前，纽约州总检察长办公室的医疗补助欺诈追回款常年位居全美前列。埃利奥特·斯皮策任内，2006年医疗补助欺诈控制部门追回了2.436亿美元。安德鲁·科莫的办公室则在2007年追回1.138亿美元，2008年追回2.635亿美元，2009年追回超过2.83亿美元，其就任总检察长的前三年总追回额超过6.6亿美元。科莫的继任者埃里克·施奈德曼在2012年追回超过3.35亿美元——这是该部门历史上第二高的年度追回额，也是七年来的最高追回金额。
“就连她的民主党前任们每年都能追回2亿至3亿美元的欺诈所得，”科马蒂雷迪说，“但蒂什·詹姆斯上任后，这一数字降到了每年2000万至3000万美元。根据她自己的年终报告，她干脆放弃了这项职责。”
亚历克斯·贝伦森：明尼苏达州只是开始：纽约的医疗补助诈骗问题更严重
2026年4月29日周三，纽约州总检察长共和党候选人萨里塔·科马蒂雷迪与州共和党议员在纽约奥尔巴尼西国会公园举行新闻发布会，呼吁加强纽约公共交通安全。（威尔·沃尔德隆/奥尔巴尼《时代联盟报》通过盖蒂图片社拍摄）
随着詹姆斯任内纽约州每年从医疗补助欺诈中追回的资金越来越少，州政府用于欺诈追回项目的支出却在增加，从2020财年的约4500万美元升至2025年的7000万美元。
“过去，纽约州总检察长办公室每年能获得约100项刑事定罪，让那些盗窃医疗补助资金的人承担责任，”科马蒂雷迪说，“但在蒂什·詹姆斯任内，这个数字极低。有一年她只获得了8项刑事定罪。”
纽约州对医疗补助欺诈的处理方式也引起了联邦政府的关注。今年早些时候，医疗保险和医疗补助服务中心主任穆罕默德·奥兹博士致函州长凯西·霍楚尔，要求提供更多有关该州如何筛查医疗服务提供者、打击欺诈的信息。奥兹表示，此次审查旨在保护医疗补助受益人，并维护公众对该项目的信心。纽约州与加利福尼亚州、明尼苏达州是仅有的三所收到该信函的州。
阅读原文：奥兹博士就医疗补助欺诈造成的数十亿美元损失向全美50位州长发出警告
科马蒂雷迪表示，执法力度减弱最终会抬高医疗保健支出、削减其他州优先事项可用资金，让纽约民众为此买单。
“买单的是纽约民众，因为有人盗窃医疗补助资金，这会推高我们的医疗成本，”她说，“在她的任期内，我们眼睁睁看着10亿美元付诸东流，而这些钱本可以作为纳税人的资金被追回。”
科马蒂雷迪表示，取而代之的是，议员们被迫向纳税人寻求额外收入。
“奥尔巴尼的那些人总在想新办法从纳税人手里榨取更多钱财，”她说，“如果有一位真正能妥善起诉欺诈行为的总检察长，你就不必担心加税了。”
科马蒂雷迪承诺将加强医疗补助欺诈控制部门，增设20名刑事检察官。
科马蒂雷迪曾是联邦检察官，在纽约东区联邦检察官办公室工作了十多年，后来担任美国药品 Enforcement Administration 办公厅主任。她将这场竞选描述为职业执法检察官与无能现任官员之间的抉择。
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“就像我说的，我们必须切实履行总检察长的职责，”亨利说，“这项职责包括起诉犯罪和欺诈行为。”
纽约州总检察长办公室并未立即回应福克斯新闻数字频道的置评请求。
伊莱恩·马伦是福克斯新闻数字频道和福克斯商业频道的撰稿人，报道全国政治新闻。
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6391245688112
NY AG hopeful blasts Letitia James as Medicaid fraud recoveries collapse: ‘She’s not doing the job’
Saritha Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor, pledged to add 20 criminal prosecutors to the state’s fraud unit
June 27, 2026 5:04pm EDT / Fox News
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Republican New York attorney general candidate Saritha Komatireddy is making Medicaid fraud a centerpiece of her campaign, charging that prosecutions have sharply declined under Attorney General Letitia James.
Cracking down on Medicaid fraud has become a flashpoint issue in the country after investigators uncovered billions of dollars in alleged fraud tied to public assistance programs in Minnesota. The scandal pushed the Trump administration to make cracking down on fraud a higher priority, with Vice President JD Vance leading a federal effort. Now, Republican candidates in races across the country, including New York’s attorney general contest, are calling for states to do more to prosecute Medicaid fraud and recover taxpayer money.
In an interview with Fox News Digital, Komatireddy accused James of failing to aggressively pursue Medicaid fraud, saying taxpayers could be losing out on hundreds of millions of dollars in recoveries.
“They’re totally failing to prosecute Medicaid fraud, and you can look at that based solely on the record of Letitia James and her Democratic predecessors,” Komatireddy said. “This is not a partisan issue.”
New York Attorney General GOP candidate Saritha Komatireddy blast AG James for failing to adequately investigate and prosecute Medicaid fraud.((Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images) Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images)
NEW YORK REPUBLICANS CALL FOR INDEPENDENT FRAUD INVESTIGATION FOLLOWING MINNESOTA REVELATIONS
Komatireddy’s said Medicaid fraud recoveries have plummeted under James, falling from $168 million in 2019, her first year in office, to just $31 million in 2024, according to data from New York Attorney General’s annual reports.
Before James took office, New York attorneys general routinely posted some of the nation’s largest Medicaid fraud recoveries. Under Eliot Spitzer, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered $243.6 million in 2006. Andrew Cuomo’s office then recovered $113.8 million in 2007, $263.5 million in 2008 and more than $283 million in 2009, totaling more than $660 million during his first three years as attorney general. And Cuomo’s successor, Eric Schneiderman, recovered more than $335 million in 2012 — the second-highest annual total in the unit’s history and its highest recovery in seven years.
“Even her Democratic predecessors used to bring in $200 to $300 million per year in fraudulent proceeds,” Komatireddy said. “When Tish James comes into office, it goes down to $20 to $30 million per year. According to her own year-end reports, she’s just decided not to do that part of the job.”
ALEX BERENSON: MINNESOTA WAS ONLY THE BEGINNING: NEW YORK’S MEDICAID GRIFT IS FAR WORSE
Republican candidate for New York Attorney General Saritha Komatireddy holds a news conference with state GOP lawmakers on increasing public transit safety in New York on Wednesday, April 29, 2026, at West Capitol Park in Albany, N.Y.(Will Waldron/Albany Times Union via Getty Images))
As New York recovers less money from Medicaid fraud each year under James, the state’s spending on the fraud recovery program has increased, from about $45 million in fiscal 2020 to $70 million in 2025.
“It used to be the case the New York Attorney General’s office would get around 100 criminal convictions a year, holding people who are stealing from Medicaid accountable,” Komatireddy said. “Under Tish James, that number is very low. There’s one year where she got eight criminal convictions.”
New York’s handling of Medicaid fraud has also caught the attention of the federal government. Earlier this year, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent Gov. Kathy Hochul a letter asking for more information about how the state screens providers and fights fraud. Oz said the review is meant to help protect Medicaid beneficiaries and maintain public confidence in the program. New York was one of only three states — along with California and Minnesota — to receive the letter.
READ: DR. OZ PUTS ALL 50 GOVERNORS ON NOTICE OVER BILLIONS LOST TO MEDICAID FRAUD
Komatireddy said reduced enforcement ultimately costs New Yorkers by increasing healthcare spending and reducing funds available for other state priorities.
“It’s New Yorkers who pay the price, because when people steal from Medicaid, that increases our healthcare costs,” she said. “When we are just letting a billion dollars go out the door over the course of her term, that’s money that we could be getting back as taxpayers.”
Instead, Komatireddy said lawmakers are forced to seek additional revenue from taxpayers.
New York Attorney General Letitia James stands silently during a press conference at the office of the Attorney General in New York City on Dec. 15, 2025.(Michael M. Santiago/Getty Images)
“The folks in Albany keep thinking of new ways to take more money away from taxpayers,” she said. “If you had an attorney general who actually prosecuted fraud properly, you wouldn’t have to worry about a tax hike.”
Komatireddy pledged to strengthen the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by adding 20 criminal prosecutors.
Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor who spent more than a decade in the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and later served as chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration, has framed the race as a choice between a career law enforcement prosecutor and an inept incumbent.
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“Like I said, we have to actually just do the job of attorney general,” Henry said. “That job involves prosecuting crime and fraud.”
The New York Attorney General’s Office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment.
Elaine Mallon is a writer for Fox News Digital and Fox Business covering national politics.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6391245688112