Two Women Plead Guilty in Medicaid Scheme

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Two Brooklyn women, Manal Wasef and Elaine Antao, have admitted to stealing a colossal $68 million from American taxpayers through a sophisticated Medicaid fraud scheme. For nearly seven years, their criminal enterprise exploited vulnerable seniors and disabled Medicaid recipients by billing the government for adult day care services that were either never provided or delivered under fraudulent circumstances. This successful prosecution, securing guilty pleas on conspiracy charges, underscores the Justice Department’s commitment to holding accountable those who drain resources from essential healthcare programs.

Story Highlights

Manal Wasef and Elaine Antao pleaded guilty to defrauding Medicaid of $68 million through fake adult day care services
The scheme ran from 2017 to 2024, billing for services never provided to elderly and disabled Americans
Both women agreed to forfeit $1 million while facing up to 10 years in prison for conspiracy charges
This represents the sixth and seventh guilty pleas in a broader conspiracy involving multiple co-conspirators

Seven Years of Systematic Theft

Manal Wasef and Elaine Antao operated their criminal enterprise from October 2017 through July 2024, exploiting Brooklyn’s social adult day care system. The 46-year-old marketers orchestrated kickback schemes involving Happy Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc., Family Social Adult Day Care Center Inc., and Responsible Care Staffing Inc. They recruited Medicaid beneficiaries through illegal inducements, then billed the government for services that were either never provided or delivered under fraudulent circumstances.

Two Brooklyn residents pleaded guilty to a conspiracy that stole $68 million from Medicaid.

The scheme involved bribes, fake services, and money laundering — with more arrests expected as the case unfolds. pic.twitter.com/siHMxfrEHr

— NLDR (Noldor) Media (@NLDRMedia) January 16, 2026

Targeting America’s Most Vulnerable

The defendants specifically preyed upon elderly and disabled Medicaid recipients who depended on legitimate adult day care services. These vulnerable Americans received improper inducements to participate in the scheme while the quality and continuity of their actual care suffered. The fraud undermined the integrity of programs designed to support our most defenseless citizens, turning essential healthcare services into profit centers for criminal enterprises.

Manal Wasef and Elaine Antao, both 46, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Justice Department Secures Accountability

The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York and the HHS Office of Inspector General successfully prosecuted this case, securing guilty pleas on January 15, 2026. Both defendants pleaded guilty to conspiring to defraud Medicaid and agreed to collectively forfeit approximately $1 million in ill-gotten gains. However, the recovered assets represent just a fraction of the $68 million stolen from American taxpayers over the scheme’s duration.

This case demonstrates the Trump administration’s commitment to rooting out healthcare fraud that drains resources from legitimate beneficiaries. The prosecution sends a clear message that those who exploit government programs designed to help vulnerable Americans will face serious consequences. With sentencing dates pending, both women face maximum sentences of 10 years in prison for their conspiracy convictions.

Watch the report: Brooklyn Women Plead Guilty in $68M Medicaid Fraud Scheme