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The Justice Department has criminally charged 193 people, including 76 doctors, nurses and other medical professionals, with participating in health care fraud schemes worth $2.75 billion, the agency said Thursday.

The two-week operation ensnared defendants accused of illegally distributing millions of pills of the stimulant Adderall.

It also included $176 million in fraudulent schemes involving drug and alcohol abuse treatment, including one defendant accused of billing the federal Medicaid program for treatment that was either inadequate or nonexistent, Attorney General Merrick Garland said.

The bust also targeted schemes involving telemedicine, charging 36 defendants accused of collectively submitting over $1.1 billion in false claims to the Medicare program.

The Justice Department will bring to justice criminals who defraud Americans, steal from taxpayer-funded programs, and put people in danger for the sake of profits,” Garland said during a press conference.

The government seized more than $231 million in cash, luxury vehicles, gold and other assets in the law enforcement action that spanned 32 federal districts.

In one scheme, federal prosecutors charged seven people associated with the San Francisco-based telehealth startup Done Global with illegally distributing Adderall, a stimulant used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, commonly known as ADHD.

One nurse practitioner at the company was accused of prescribing 1.5 million pills of Adderall while having little interaction with patients. The company’s founder and top doctor were charged earlier this month.

US officials said fraud schemes may have played a role in well-publicized shortages of Adderall in recent years.

A spokesperson for the company did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

The investigations were led by the Justice Department’s criminal fraud unit and involved the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, FBI and Drug Enforcement Administration.

Officials said they have increasingly relied on data analytics to spot fraud schemes that either put patients at risk or cost the US government.

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Escalator malfunction at Brewers’ park injures 11

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Escalator malfunction at Brewers' park injures 11

Eleven people were injured after an escalator at the Milwaukee Brewers‘ American Family Field malfunctioned, resulting in “an increased downward speed.”

The incident occurred after the Brewers’ 5-3 loss to the Chicago Cubs while fans were taking the escalator from the terrace to the loge level.

Five of the people injured were treated at the ballpark while the other six were transported to area hospitals with non-life threatening injuries, according to the team.

The Brewers, in a statement Sunday, said they were in the process of reaching out to those who were injured to “check on their condition and express our best wishes for a complete and speedy recovery.”

The team also said that all of the ballpark escalators were inspected overnight and deemed safe for use. The Brewers host the Cubs again Sunday at 1:10 p.m. CT.

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Pirates catcher Bart returns from thumb injury

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Pirates catcher Bart returns from thumb injury

Pittsburgh Pirates catcher Joey Bart has been activated from the 10-day injured list after recovering from a left thumb injury.

Bart, who last played for Pittsburgh on May 26, went 6-for-17 during a six-game rehab assignment at Triple-A Indianapolis.

The Pirates acquired Bart, 27, in an April 2 trade, sending right-hander Austin Strickland to the San Francisco Giants. The 2018 No. 2 draft pick out of Georgia Tech, Bart failed to catch on with the Giants as Buster Posey‘s successor.

In 22 games before the injury, Bart was batting .267 with four homers and 12 RBIs in 22 games. In 184 career games, he has a .224 average with 15 homers, 50 RBIs and 197 strikeouts.

In a corresponding move, the Pirates sent catcher Jason Delay, 29, to Indianapolis.

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Guardians send struggling P McKenzie to minors

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Guardians send struggling P McKenzie to minors

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Cleveland Guardians are sending Triston McKenzie to the minors to work out his pitching problems.

The AL Central leaders optioned the right-hander to Triple-A Columbus on Sunday, two days after he went a season-low 2⅓ innings in a 10-3 loss to the Royals. McKenzie hasn’t gone past the third inning in any of his last three starts.

McKenzie is 3-5 with a 5.11 ERA in 16 starts. He has given up 19 homers in 75⅔ innings.

To take McKenzie’s spot, the team activated right-hander Gavin Williams from the 60-day injured list. Williams hasn’t pitched for Cleveland this season after he injured his elbow while throwing a weighted ball during a workout in spring training.

Williams had to build back his arm strength the past two months and made seven minor league appearances before the Guardians were comfortable bringing him up. He made 82 pitches in his last outing.

On Saturday, Chris Antonetti, the team’s president of baseball operations, said the club will continue to be patient with Williams, who likely will be on a pitch count for now.

A former first-round draft pick, the 24-year-old Williams went 3-5 with a 3.29 ERA in 16 starts as a rookie in 2023.

The Guardians could be looking to add another starter before the trade deadline. They signed veteran left-hander Matthew Cook to a one-year contract Saturday, but he won’t be ready to join the rotation until August after having Tommy John surgery last year.

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