An Orange County man has pleaded guilty to a scheme that involved the submission of nearly $270 million in fraudulent claims to Medi-Cal, working with two others from Moreno Valley and West Hills, the U.S. Department of Justice announced Tuesday, April 7.
Paul Richard Randall, 66, of Orange, admitted to carrying out the scheme through a pharmacy that billed the state’s Medicaid program for high-cost medications made with low-cost generic ingredients, federal prosecutors said.
According to court records, Randall worked with Kyrollos Mekail, 37, of Moreno Valley, and Patricia Anderson, 58, of West Hills, to take advantage of a temporary suspension of Medi-Cal’s prior authorization requirement for certain prescriptions, allowing them to bill large sums without the usual review. The claims involved expensive, non-contracted drugs that were unnecessary and, in many cases, never dispensed to patients.
Between May 2022 and April 2023, the pharmacy submitted more than $269 million in claims and was paid more than $178 million, authorities said.
Randall also admitted to laundering proceeds from the scheme.
He pleaded guilty to one count of wire fraud committed while on release. A sentencing hearing is scheduled for Aug. 3, where he faces up to 30 years in federal prison.
Randall has been in federal custody since June 2025.
Mekail previously pleaded guilty to two counts of health care fraud and is awaiting sentencing. Anderson is charged with two counts of health care fraud.