Harold Tabaie and Hany Malek

Introduction

Harold Tabaie and Hany Malek are business partners charged by federal indictment on October 22, 2026 with a $135 million scheme to bill Medicare for medically unnecessary arterial procedures. Tabaie, 78, of Anaheim, is a cardiothoracic surgeon; Malek, 61, of Tarzana, is a chiropractor. Both were among eight defendants arrested that day in a Justice Department health care fraud takedown that charged 15 defendants, including six medical professionals, with $2 billion in fraudulent claims alleged across schemes involving sham substance abuse treatment, unnecessary artery treatments, and bogus hospice services.

Background Information

According to the indictment, Tabaie and Malek billed Medicare for unnecessary atherectomies — an invasive procedure in which a bladed catheter is used to clear plaque from arteries — performed at two Los Angeles-based clinics they co-owned and operated: West Regional Cardio Thoracic and Vascular Surgeons and Angelus Medical Clinic Multi Specialty Group. Malek, a chiropractor, is alleged to have posed as a medical doctor, diagnosing patients with arterial disease and recommending that they receive atherectomies that Tabaie then performed. Federal prosecutors in Los Angeles announced the charges as wire coverage identified Tabaie as a cardiothoracic surgeon and Malek as his business partner, and reported both men among the eight arrests made Thursday.

The Controversy or Incident That Led to Their Cancellation

Charged, not convicted. Tabaie and Malek face only the accusations of an indictment, which the Justice Department notes merely contains allegations; both men are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt, and no plea is reported in the coverage.

As alleged in the indictment, Malek recommended atherectomies while posing as a medical doctor, and Tabaie then performed the procedures on patients who did not actually have disease in their arteries. He also performed repeat atherectomies on patients he had previously treated unsuccessfully with the procedure, and some of these procedures resulted in patients experiencing extreme pain and discomfort. To conceal the unusually high volume of procedures Tabaie performed, the defendants allegedly fraudulently billed for atherectomies under the names of other medical providers who did not actually perform the surgeries. Prosecutors believe Tabaie performed the invasive plaque-clearing procedure on patients who did not actually require the treatment and repeated the operation on patients he previously treated unsuccessfully, while Malek, suspected of posing as a medical doctor, allegedly diagnosed patients and recommended the surgery.

The indictment further alleges that Tabaie and Malek induced Medicare beneficiaries to receive services from their clinics by offering illegal kickbacks in the form of free transportation, groceries, household goods, gift cards, and utility bill payments. At Malek’s direction, clinic employees allegedly convinced patients to disenroll from their existing insurance plans and reenroll in specific Medicare plans to maximize the clinics’ reimbursements for atherectomies. The case was identified through data analytics that indicated Tabaie was an extreme outlier for billing atherectomy procedures in the United States.

Malek is also charged with submitting fraudulent Paycheck Protection Program loan applications. According to the indictment, he diverted revenue from the clinics to a company he owned that was used to pay clinic employees and did not independently generate revenue. In 2021, Malek submitted a PPP loan application on behalf of that company falsely claiming the business experienced a reduction in gross receipts of more than 25% between 2019 and 2020; while representing the loan would be used for covered business expenses like payroll, he allegedly used the proceeds for personal expenses, other business ventures, family credit card payments, and the purchase of coins.

Public Reaction and Consequences

The charges landed as part of a coordinated takedown in which the Justice Department alleged $134 million was fraudulently billed to Medicare for unnecessary atherectomy procedures that resulted in injury to patients, within an announcement spanning 15 defendants, six medical professionals, and $2 billion in fraudulent claims. Eight defendants, including Tabaie and Malek, were arrested on announcement day. First Assistant United States Attorney Bill Essayli said, “It is especially egregious when doctors and other health care professionals, who pledged to do no harm, resort to petty greed and criminality,” adding that the cases announced represent “billions of dollars in intended losses” and that “Every dollar drained out of our private and public health insurance systems is one less dollar available to those who truly need it.”

Current Status

Tabaie and Malek are charged with four counts of health care fraud, and Malek is charged with an additional two counts of bank fraud. The FBI, IRS Criminal Investigation, the Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the United States Marshals Service are investigating the matter. The Justice Department’s release states that indictments, complaints, and informations merely contain allegations, and that all defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law. The department has also published a victim notification page for United States v. Harold Tabaie and Hany Malek, directing anyone who believes they are a victim in the case to its Victim Assistance Unit.

Impact on Their Career/Life

Both men were arrested on the day the takedown was announced, and the allegations strike directly at the professional identities each built: a cardiothoracic surgeon accused of operating on arteries that had no disease, and a chiropractor accused of impersonating the physician he was not. The data-analytics flag that first identified Tabaie as an extreme national outlier for atherectomy billing now sits at the center of a prosecution alleging $135 million in unnecessary procedures, some of which prosecutors say left patients in extreme pain and discomfort.

Sources

• U.S. Attorney’s Office, Central District of California, “L.A. Health Care Fraud Takedown Results in 15 Defendants Charged, Including Six Medical Professionals, with $2 Billion in Losses Alleged”, October 22, 2026 — source
• MyNewsLA, “Doctors Charged in LA Health Care Fraud Takedown”, October 22, 2026 — source
• San Bernardino Sun, “Doctors among 15 charged in LA healthcare fraud takedown”, October 22, 2026 — source