ARTESIA — A healthcare operator who ran a hospice business out of Artesia is now at the center of a massive federal fraud case that allegedly siphoned millions from Medicare.
Lolita Beronilla Minerd, 65, of Anaheim, was arrested as part of a sweeping federal investigation targeting hospice fraud across Los Angeles County. Authorities allege Minerd used her company, Topanga Hospice Care Inc., which operated in Artesia from 2020 to 2025, to submit roughly $9.2 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare, ultimately receiving more than $8.5 million in payments.
According to investigators, the scheme relied on recruiting individuals who were not terminally ill and enrolling them in hospice care under false pretenses. In some cases, individuals were allegedly approached in public places and later offered monthly cash payments, along with medical supplies, in exchange for signing up as hospice patients…