Eight Arrested in California For Fraud Allegations, Left Media Split on Coverage

Eight people were arrested on Thursday for their connection to alleged fraud schemes in and around Los Angeles.

The Details: Five of the cases involved hospice centers that allegedly billed Medicare for patients that were not terminally ill or did not qualify for hospice services, according to the US Attorney's Office. The Justice Department said that the arrests included three nurses, a chiropractor and a psychologist who have reportedly defrauded the healthcare system out of over $50 million. The arrests are part of an ongoing federal investigation called "Operation Never Say Die."

CBS Investigation: On March 10, CBS News (Lean Left bias) released an exclusive report on its own investigation into hospice-related fraud in Los Angeles. It examined business and financial records for roughly 1,800 hospices in LA County and found that over 700 raised "multiple red flags" for fraud. Some of these included low patient counts, excessive billing, staff shared across multiple companies, multiple hospices clustered in one building and terminally ill patients who were later discharged alive. The report was covered primarily by local outlets and Mediaite (Lean Left). 

Nick Shirley Investigation: On March 16, YouTube reporter Nick Shirley released a 40-minute video detailing $170 million of alleged fraud in California's hospice and daycare centers. California Gov. Gavin Newsom's press office denounced the investigation and posted several memes poking fun at the video. The story was covered primarily by outlets on the right and in the center. 

How the Media Covered It: Outlets across the political spectrum generally attributed the arrests to President Trump and Republican crackdowns on alleged fraud in blue states. None of them mentioned CBS' report.

From the Left: Several left-leaning outlets suggested the arrests were a result of Shirley's investigation. Politico (Lean Left) wrote "Republicans have found their health care message for the midterms: fraud," saying the crackdown aims to capture voter turnout as Americans are "laser-focused on the high cost of living." The Guardian (Left) outlined Trump's targeting of blue states and called the fraud claims "baseless." It also highlighted Newsom's defense of California. CNN (Lean Left) and Washington Post (Lean Left) both shared an Associated Press (Left) article that connected the arrests to Trump's crackdown, but also outlined one of the arrests in Artesia, California that was allegedly worth more than $8.5 million in fraudulent claims. As of Monday, AllSides only found CBS and Mediaite to provide substantive coverage of the fraud allegations.

From the Right: The story was covered more by right-leaning outlets, which outlined the different arrests made and the dollar amount tied to each fraud claim. New York Post (Lean Right) emphasized the scale of the alleged fraud. 

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