Bay Area residents and health care policy watchers took note yesterday when the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of California shed light on the dark underbelly of medical fraud. In a coordinated sting, 193 defendants across the country were swept up in a law enforcement action targeting health care fraud and opioid abuse, with four individuals facing charges in the Northern District of California. These charges, part of a nationwide crackdown announced by Assistant U.S. Attorney Matthew Yelovich, reveal an alleged scheme fraught with false claims and illegitimate prescriptions, amassing a staggering $2.75 billion in fraudulent billings to federal health care programs.