Anthony Hao Dinh Indicted in $250M COVID Fraud Scheme

Anthony Hao Dinh, a Newport Coast osteopathic doctor and ear, nose, and throat specialist, was indicted in September 2023 on 18 federal counts in what the Justice Department has called the largest known fraud scheme targeting the federal COVID-19 Uninsured Program. Prosecutors allege Dinh submitted more than $250 million in fraudulent claims through his Westminster and Garden Grove clinics, received roughly $150 million in payments, and laundered proceeds through personal stock trading accounts.¹ The case remains pending in federal court in Santa Ana as of late 2025.

What Prosecutors Say Dinh Did

The indictment covers a roughly nine-month stretch from July 2020 to March 2021. During that period, according to prosecutors, Dinh used his two medical practices to bill the Health Resources and Services Administration’s COVID-19 Uninsured Program for patients who actually had health insurance, for services never provided, and for treatments that were not medically necessary.¹ Among the insured patients whose care was billed to the program were Amtrak employees covered through their employer, which brought the Amtrak Office of Inspector General into the investigation.²

The Justice Department has said Dinh was the second-highest biller in the country to the Uninsured Program.³ The program reimbursed providers who tested or treated uninsured patients during the pandemic and has since been shut down after its funding was exhausted.

PPP and EIDL Loan Applications

Alongside the billing scheme, the indictment alleges Dinh took part in fraud targeting the Paycheck Protection Program and the Economic Injury Disaster Loan program. Prosecutors say he submitted roughly 65 fraudulent loan applications seeking nearly $8 million, of which about $2.8 million was actually disbursed.⁴

Where the Money Went

An FBI affidavit unsealed in April 2023 alleges Dinh funneled more than $100 million of the fraud proceeds into high-risk options trading between November 2020 and February 2022, losing most of it on bad trades.⁵ The indictment ties more than $11 million in fraud proceeds to transfers into personal stock trading accounts. Those transfers form the basis for the money laundering counts.¹

The 18 Counts

A federal grand jury returned the indictment on September 27, 2023, in the Central District of California. The counts break down this way:

Twelve counts of wire fraud, each carrying a maximum of 20 years in federal prison.
Five counts of money laundering. Three carry a maximum of 20 years each; the other two carry up to 10 years.
One count of obstruction of justice, carrying a maximum of 20 years. Prosecutors allege Dinh submitted false patient records in response to a grand jury subpoena.¹

Dinh was released on a $7 million bond and arraigned in Santa Ana federal court on October 30, 2023.⁴ The case is docketed as SACR 23-00131-JVS before Senior U.S. District Judge James V. Selna.⁶

Where the Case Stands

Dinh has not gone to trial and there is no public indication of a guilty plea. Court records from October 2025 show his defense filed a motion to continue the trial, meaning the case was still in pretrial proceedings.⁷

On the licensing side, the Osteopathic Medical Board of California issued a citation against Dinh, License No. 7627, effective November 24, 2025. The board’s 2025 enforcement records do not list a suspension or revocation of his license.⁸

Co-Defendants

Hanna Trinh Dinh

Dinh’s sister, Hanna “Hang” Trinh Dinh, was charged as a co-conspirator for helping submit fraudulent PPP and EIDL applications. Prosecutors say she opened a shell bank account under the name “HD Financial Firm,” tried to force PayPal to process a rejected $125,000 transfer, and submitted a phony IRS form supporting a loan application seeking $260,672.⁹

She pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit wire fraud and was sentenced on February 12, 2024, to 20 months in federal prison plus three years of supervised release, seven months of which are to be served in home confinement. Judge Selna waived a $10,000 fine after the defense argued she could not pay it, though the court noted a non-liquid net worth of about $780,000. The judge said he was “troubled” by the crime and stated that she “took advantage of an emergency situation.” Prosecutors said she had tried to evade arrest in April 2023 by boarding a cruise ship with a stop in Vancouver and then buying a ticket to Vietnam.⁹

Matthew Hoang Ho

Dr. Matthew Hoang Ho, charged in May 2023 with conspiracy to commit wire fraud and money laundering for his alleged role in the loan applications, saw his February 2024 trial derailed by a conflict-of-interest fight. Judge Selna disqualified Ho’s attorneys at Brown White and Osborn because the firm had previously represented Hanna Dinh, who was expected to testify against Ho as a government witness.¹⁰ On July 2, 2024, the Ninth Circuit denied Ho’s petition for a writ of mandamus, holding that written conflict waivers were insufficient given the “fluidity of a criminal trial.”⁶ No new trial date for Ho has been publicly reported since the ruling.

1
U.S. Department of Justice. Orange County Doctor of Osteopathy Indicted in Quarter-Billion-Dollar Fraud Targeting Federal COVID-19 Relief
2
Amtrak OIG. California Resident Pleads Guilty to Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud
3
U.S. Department of Justice. Justice Department Announces Nationwide Coordinated Law Enforcement Action to Combat COVID-19 Fraud
4
Los Angeles Times. Newport Coast Doctor Charged in Fraud Targeting Pandemic Program for the Uninsured
5
Bloomberg. Doctor in $150 Million COVID Scam Blew It on Bad Trades, US Says
6
Justia. Ho v. United States District Court for the Central District of California, No. 24-1883
7
U.S. District Court, Central District of California. Calendar Entry, Case No. SACR 23-00131-JVS
8
Osteopathic Medical Board of California. Enforcement Actions 2025
9
Audacy. Lake Forest Woman Sentenced for COVID-19 Relief Fraud
10
Metropolitan News-Enterprise. Ninth Circuit Upholds Disqualification of Attorneys in COVID-19 Fraud Case