When we are just letting a billion dollars go out the door, that's money we could be getting back
In the long tradition of public trust placed in the office of attorney general, a question has emerged in New York about whether the state's most powerful law enforcement post has quietly abandoned one of its oldest obligations. Saritha Komatireddy, a Republican candidate with deep federal prosecution experience, argues that Medicaid fraud recoveries have collapsed by 82 percent under incumbent Letitia James — from $168 million to $31 million — leaving billions in stolen public funds unpursued and ordinary taxpayers bearing the cost. The claim arrives not in isolation but against a backdrop of federal scrutiny, with Washington singling out New York as one of only three states whose fraud prevention efforts warrant formal review. At stake is a foundational question about what government owes the people whose money it is entrusted to protect.
- An 82 percent collapse in Medicaid fraud recoveries — from $168 million to $31 million — has become the sharpest weapon in Komatireddy's campaign arsenal, a number she argues represents not a trend but a dereliction.
- Criminal convictions for Medicaid theft have nearly vanished under James, falling from roughly 100 per year to as few as eight, even as the state's spending on the fraud recovery program has grown from $45 million to $70 million annually.
- Federal CMS Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz formally requested that New York explain its fraud prevention practices, placing the state alongside California and Minnesota in a short list of jurisdictions Washington views as falling short.
- Komatireddy frames the enforcement gap as a stealth tax — arguing that unprosecuted fraud drives up healthcare costs and gives politicians cover to raise taxes rather than recover stolen funds.
- Her proposed remedy is concrete: add 20 criminal prosecutors to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a pledge designed to signal that she intends to treat the office as a law enforcement institution rather than a political platform.
- The Attorney General's Office has not responded to the claims, leaving Komatireddy's historical comparisons — Spitzer, Cuomo, and Schneiderman all recovered far more — to stand unchallenged in the public record.
Saritha Komatireddy, a Republican candidate for New York attorney general and former federal prosecutor, has built her campaign around a striking claim: that the state's pursuit of Medicaid fraud has collapsed under Letitia James, costing taxpayers billions and enabling unnecessary tax increases.
The numbers she cites are difficult to dismiss. In James's first year, New York recovered $168 million in Medicaid fraud. By 2024, that figure had fallen to $31 million — an 82 percent decline. Komatireddy, who spent more than a decade in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York, places this against a historical backdrop that makes the drop more striking: Eliot Spitzer's office once recovered $243 million in a single year, Andrew Cuomo's routinely brought in $200 to $300 million annually, and Eric Schneiderman recovered more than $335 million in 2012 alone.
The collapse in criminal convictions is equally sharp. The office once secured roughly 100 convictions per year for Medicaid theft; under James, Komatireddy says, that number fell to as few as eight in a single year. All of this has occurred while the state's spending on the fraud recovery program has actually increased — from $45 million in fiscal 2020 to $70 million in 2025. More money, less result.
The issue has attracted federal attention. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent Governor Kathy Hochul a formal letter requesting information about how New York screens providers and combats fraud — placing the state among only three in the country to receive such scrutiny.
Komatireddy's argument is ultimately a fiscal one: when fraud goes unprosecuted, she contends, the costs don't disappear — they migrate to taxpayers. She estimates roughly a billion dollars in potential recoveries have been left uncollected during James's tenure. Her campaign platform centers on adding 20 criminal prosecutors to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, positioning herself as a career law enforcement professional prepared to restore what she describes as a fundamental function of the office. The Attorney General's Office did not respond to requests for comment.
Saritha Komatireddy, a Republican candidate for New York attorney general, has seized on what she calls a dramatic collapse in the state's pursuit of Medicaid fraud—a prosecutorial failure she argues is costing taxpayers billions of dollars and forcing unnecessary tax increases.
The numbers she cites are stark. When Letitia James took office as attorney general in 2019, New York recovered $168 million in Medicaid fraud that year. By 2024, that figure had fallen to $31 million—an 82 percent decline. Komatireddy, a former federal prosecutor who spent more than a decade in the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Eastern District of New York and later served as chief of staff at the Drug Enforcement Administration, argues this represents a fundamental abandonment of the office's core responsibilities.
The historical record she invokes is instructive. Under Eliot Spitzer, the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit recovered $243.6 million in a single year. Andrew Cuomo's office routinely brought in $200 to $300 million annually—more than $660 million during his first three years in office. Eric Schneiderman recovered over $335 million in 2012 alone, the second-highest annual total in the unit's history. Even James's Democratic predecessors, Komatireddy notes, treated Medicaid fraud prosecution as a serious enterprise. Under her watch, recoveries have dropped to what she characterizes as $20 to $30 million per year.
The decline in criminal convictions mirrors the drop in recoveries. The office used to secure around 100 criminal convictions annually for Medicaid theft. Under James, Komatireddy says, that number has become negligible—in one year, just eight convictions. Meanwhile, the state's spending on the fraud recovery program has actually increased, from about $45 million in fiscal 2020 to $70 million in 2025. The office is spending more money to recover less.
The issue has drawn federal scrutiny. Earlier this year, Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services Administrator Dr. Mehmet Oz sent Governor Kathy Hochul a letter requesting detailed information about how New York screens Medicaid providers and combats fraud. The state was one of only three—alongside California and Minnesota—to receive such a letter, a signal that federal officials view New York's fraud prevention efforts as inadequate.
Komatireddy frames the enforcement gap as a hidden tax on ordinary New Yorkers. When fraud goes unprosecuted, she argues, healthcare costs rise, and state officials respond by seeking additional revenue from taxpayers rather than recovering stolen funds. "If you had an attorney general who actually prosecuted fraud properly, you wouldn't have to worry about a tax hike," she said. Over the course of James's term, Komatireddy estimates roughly a billion dollars in potential recoveries have been left on the table.
Her campaign platform includes a concrete remedy: adding 20 criminal prosecutors to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She has positioned herself as a career law enforcement professional running against what she describes as an inept incumbent, framing the race as a straightforward choice between someone who will do the job and someone who has not. The New York Attorney General's Office did not respond to requests for comment on Komatireddy's claims.
Citas Notables
Even her Democratic predecessors used to bring in $200 to $300 million per year in fraudulent proceeds. When Tish James comes into office, it goes down to $20 to $30 million per year.— Saritha Komatireddy, Republican NY attorney general candidate
If you had an attorney general who actually prosecuted fraud properly, you wouldn't have to worry about a tax hike.— Saritha Komatireddy
La Conversación del Hearth Otra perspectiva de la historia
Why has Medicaid fraud become such a visible campaign issue now, in 2026?
It exploded into national consciousness after investigators uncovered billions in alleged fraud tied to public assistance programs in Minnesota. That scandal pushed the Trump administration to make fraud crackdowns a federal priority, with Vice President JD Vance leading the effort. Now Republican candidates everywhere are running on it.
But New York's numbers are particularly bad?
They are. The state went from recovering $200 to $300 million a year under previous attorneys general to $20 to $30 million under James. That's not a small dip—it's a structural collapse in enforcement.
Could there be legitimate reasons for the decline? Different priorities, different case types?
Komatireddy doesn't entertain that. She points to the criminal conviction data—from roughly 100 a year down to single digits in some years. That's not a shift in strategy. That's a shutdown.
And the federal government noticed?
Yes. Dr. Mehmet Oz at CMS sent a letter to Governor Hochul asking for details on fraud prevention. Only three states got that letter. It's a public signal that Washington thinks New York is failing.
What does Komatireddy actually propose to fix it?
Twenty new prosecutors in the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. She's betting that more bodies doing the work will restore the recoveries and the convictions.
Is this really about fraud, or is it a proxy for something else?
It's both. Fraud is real and measurable. But Komatireddy is also using it to argue that James is incompetent and that incompetence is costing taxpayers money—which then forces tax increases. It's a clean political argument.