Fake news targets Muslims in Michigan

FMN article says US federal officials busted 412 'Muslims' only in health care fraud

An article by Fresh Media News (FMN) reported that hundreds of Muslim doctors were arrested by the US federal government in a record-breaking bust  in Detroit – it was flagged by Facebook as ‘fabricated’ in the social network’s attempt to combat fake news.

Politifact found the headline to be fake – as it described all the suspects to be Muslims from Michigan without evidence, but found the story to be based on a real-life crackdown on health care by US federal government in July in which at least 412 people were charged.



"The state of Michigan is clearly turning into a Sharia swamp, thanks to the reckless immigration policies of Obama over the last 8 years," reads the FMN article. It claims that federal officials busted a $1.3 billion fraudulent scheme involving Medicare fraud, insurance rip off and opioid prescriptions.

While basic details were inaccurate, FMN did include some correct details including the name of one of the defendants: Mashiyat Rashid. It further stated that all 412 suspects were Muslims when the federal documents do not mention the religion of the defendant.

Here is the real story:

According to Reuters, the US Justice Department announced charges against 412 people for taking part in healthcare frauds and opioid-related crimes that cost taxpayers about $1.3 billion on July 13. The arrests came as part of what the department said was the largest healthcare fraud take-down in US history. Those arrested included 120 doctors and other people charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioid painkillers.



The defendants include six doctors in Michigan accused of operating a scheme to prescribe patients with unnecessary opioids and of billing the Medicare healthcare program for $164 million in fraudulent claims. Of the 412 people charged nationally, 56 were doctors, the Justice Department said. It said that a result of the operation, 295 healthcare providers were in the process of being suspended or banned from participating in federal health programmes.