West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey, on Tuesday, and in partnership with the United States Attorney for the Northern District of West Virginia, announced a Medicaid fraud settlement totaling $325,000. The civil settlement is part of the Department of Justice’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
Muhammad Salman, 64, of Bridgeport, WV, reached a civil settlement to pay $325,000 to resolve allegations that he and his company, Bridgeport Pharmacy, violated the False Claims Act by submitting claims to Medicare and Medicaid while he was traveling and not in close proximity to his office in West Virginia and violated the Controlled Substances Act by using pre-signed, invalid prescriptions that were issued outside the usual course of his professional practice to his patients while he was traveling.
“The message from the Trump administration is clear: the days of turning a blind eye to fraudsters stealing our tax dollars and harming Americans are over,” West Virginia Attorney General JB McCuskey said. “Today’s National Health Care Fraud Takedown is proof that we are delivering on that promise. The Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has been dedicated to rooting out fraud and we are thankful for the commitment from the top to help us stop this abuse and the misuse of pivotal funds intended to help our Medicaid recipients.”
The case was investigated by the West Virginia Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) and settled by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of West Virginia.
“Both here in West Virginia and across the country, the evidence is overwhelming: when health care providers seek convenience or profit instead of complying with the law, the public pays the price. These cases demonstrate the critical importance of coordinated enforcement – between this office, our federal partners, and the West Virginia Attorney General’s Office – to identify violations quickly and act decisively,” said U.S. Attorney Matthew L. Harvey. “We are committed to pursuing any provider whose conduct threatens patient safety or drains public health care programs. Today’s actions make clear that we will not allow illegal prescribing practices, irresponsible handling of controlled substances, or fraudulent billing to go unchecked.”
The settlement is part of a strategically coordinated, nationwide law enforcement action that resulted in charges against 455 defendants for their alleged participation in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving over $6.5 billion in false claims and significant patient harm, including death. Today’s Takedown represents a new era in federal, state, and international cooperation to combat health care fraud: cases in 56 federal districts and 45 U.S. states and territories, with 50 state Medicaid Fraud Control Units participating, the most in Department history.
On April 7, the Department of Justice announced the creation of the National Fraud Enforcement Division (“Fraud Division”). The Fraud Division is laser-focused on investigating and prosecuting those who commit fraud against the American people. The Department’s work to combat fraud supports President Trump’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, a whole-of-government effort chaired by Vice President J.D. Vance to eliminate fraud, waste, and abuse within Federal benefit programs.
