A Cape Coral man is one of nearly 20 Floridians charged in a nationwide health care fraud case.
Eric Strom Holland, 55, was charged with wire fraud and distributing and dispensing controlled substances in connection with an alleged scheme to deceive doctors into writing controlled substance prescriptions based on false pretenses.
The charges stem from the 2025 National Health Care Fraud Takedown, which resulted in criminal charges against Holland and 323 other defendants, including 96 doctors, nurse practitioners, pharmacists, and other licensed medical professionals, in 50 federal districts and 12 State Attorneys General’s Offices across the United States, for their alleged participation in various health care fraud schemes involving over $14.6 billion in intended loss.
The Takedown involved federal and state law enforcement agencies across the country and represents an unprecedented effort to combat health care fraud schemes that exploit patients and taxpayers.
“This record-setting Health Care Fraud Takedown delivers justice to criminal actors who prey upon our most vulnerable citizens and steal from hardworking American taxpayers,” said Attorney General Pamela Bondi. “Make no mistake – this administration will not tolerate criminals who line their pockets with taxpayer dollars while endangering the health and safety of our communities.”
In the Middle District of Florida, United States Attorney Gregory W. Kehoe announced the filing of criminal charges in 13 cases involving 19 individuals in connection with alleged schemes to defraud programs entrusted for the care of the elderly and disabled, and to obtain controlled substances through fraud.
As alleged in the complaint, Holland recruited unwitting doctors for his all-virtual pain clinic using a series of lies designed to induce them to work for him and to prescribe controlled substances, including oxycodone.
These lies included that the pain clinic had a physical location (when in fact all operations during the pertinent periods were purely virtual), that patients were being physically examined by medical practitioners, such as nurse practitioners, before doctors were asked to prescribe, that there were long-term doctors with whom the patients had a standing relationship and that the temporary doctors were just refilling prescriptions as part of an established regimen of care, and that safeguards to prevent against drug abuse, such as urine screens, were being used.
Holland’s scheme resulted in the improper dispensing of more than 103,000 oxycodone pills.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Benjamin S. Winter.
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