Independent newsroom

Thursday, September 10, 2026

The File

Every claim traces to a primary source. Uncertainty is labeled. Corrections are public.

Fraud · Thursday, September 10, 2026

California man gets 30 years in a $270 million Medi-Cal drug scheme

The File desk · Sep. 10, 2026, 10:08 a.m. ET

Confirmed1 primary sources

Status

Confirmed from a Justice Department Office of Public Affairs release dated Sept. 9, 2026. Randall was sentenced that day.
Paul Richard Randall told the government he had shipped expensive drugs. A lot of that, prosecutors said, never reached patients. On Sept. 9 a federal court sentenced the 67-year-old from Orange, California, to 30 years in prison and ordered $178,746,556.22 in restitution. The Justice Department said he caused about $269.1 million in false Medi-Cal claims. Medi-Cal paid about $178.7 million. About $126.5 million in assets have been seized. He pleaded guilty to in April 2026.
Paul Richard Randall told the government he had shipped expensive drugs. A lot of that, prosecutors said, never reached patients.
On Sept. 9 a federal court sentenced Randall, 67, of Orange, California, to 30 years in prison. He was ordered to pay $178,746,556.22 in restitution.
The Justice Department said that from May 2022 to April 2023 he caused at least $269,120,829 in false Medi-Cal claims. Medi-Cal paid about $178,746,556. The drugs included pain creams and a vitamin sold over the counter, billed at thousands of dollars a prescription.
He pleaded guilty to one count of in April 2026. The government said it has seized about $126.5 million in assets from the scheme.
The FBI, the Health and Human Services inspector general, and the California Department of Justice investigated.
How we know

What is still unknown or disputed

  • How much of the seized $126.5 million will be returned to Medi-Cal is not set out as a final accounting in this release.

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    California Man Sentenced to 30 Years for Orchestrating $270M Medication Reimbursement Fraud Scheme Targeting Medi-Cal

    U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs · September 9, 2026

    Paul Richard Randall, 67, Orange, CA, sentenced 30 years; restitution $178,746,556.22; at least $269,120,829 false claims; Medi-Cal paid about $178.7 million; about $126.5 million assets seized; wire-fraud guilty plea April 2026.

    https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-man-sentenced-30-years-orchestrating-270m-medication-reimbursement-fraud-scheme