The FBI on Thursday announced the arrest of 8 of 15 defendants charged in connection with a major multi-million dollar health care fraud scheme.

The arrests were made in and around Los Angeles County, as well as in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho. Officials said some of the defendants are health care professionals, including nurses, a psychologist and a chiropractor.

Losses to taxpayers reportedly exceeded $50 million, according to the Department of Justice.

Six of the defendants arrested Thursday are expected to make their initial appearances Thursday afternoon in United States District Court in downtown Los Angeles.

Details were announced Thursday about the operation, which was tied to the Vice President’s Task Force to Eliminate Fraud. FBI officials said they have a zero-tolerance policy for anyone out there accused of defrauding American taxpayers.

“This morning, we executed Operation Never Say Die,” announced First Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Essayli. “Federal agents from multiple agencies descended on fraudsters throughout Southern California, executing multiple arrests and search warrants.”

Essayli announced the arrests of eight people, including doctors and nurses, and charges against 15 separate individuals who engaged in nine separate health care fraud investigations.

These arrests include the owners of hospices, who Essayli alleges billed taxpayers millions of dollars to serve the terminally ill who reportedly weren’t sick at all.

Those defendants include three nurses, a chiropractor, and a psychologist. Officials claim they ran fraudulent hospice care facilities that drained Medicare by using individuals who did not have terminal illnesses as beneficiaries.

All are facing years in federal prison.

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According to the Justice Department, each year the U.S. loses billions of dollars to health care fraud, with American taxpayers picking up the cost — seeing spikes in premiums, co-payments and also taxes.

Operation Never Say Die was organized to go after those who abuse the system, in this case allegations that defendants turned hospice care into a money-making operation.

For example, two of the suspects, 66-year-old psychologist Gladwin Gill and his wife, Covena nurse Amelou Gill, allegedly ran a Glendale-based hospice care facility and schemed to defraud Medicare by “paying alleged kickbacks for the referral of patients who were not dying.”

The couple allegedly laundered the money and then spent the funds on things like mortgage payments, car payments, personal bills, trips and also dining out.

The 15 defendants named by the Department of Justice tied to 9 investigations are:

Lolita Beronilla Minerd, 65, a licensed vocational nurse from Anaheim

Gladwin Gill, a 66-year-old psychologist, and his wife, Amelou Gill, a 70-year-old registered nurse, both of Covina

Nita Almuete Paddit Palma, 76, a thrice-convicted health care fraudster currently incarcerated at a federal prison in Seattle and her husband, Adolfo Catbagan, 68, of Glendale

Evelyn Tindimobuna, 51, a licensed vocational nurse from Chatsworth

Ivan Verne Lauritzen, 50, of Simi Valley

Tolu Aulava-Moala, 51, of Carson; John Nicola, 77, of El Segundo, a licensed chiropractor; Crysta Richter, 40, of Torrance, who owned a medical billing company; John Keohuloa, 49, of Long Beach

Gregory Cartmell, 62, of Coeur D’Alene, Idaho, a licensed chiropractor and co-conspirator Vincent Surace, 87, of McKinney, Texas

Sonia Griffen, 51, of Lakewood

Young Joo Ko, 59, of East Hollywood and a lawful permanent resident from South Korea

You can learn more details about each individual investigation here.

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