A Russian citizen who formerly lived in Houston faces federal money laundering charges connected to a massive Medicare fraud scheme that bilked over $400 million from healthcare programs, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.

Nikolai Buzolin, 38, made his initial court appearance in Houston after FBI agents arrested him at Los Angeles International Airport as he attempted to board a one-way flight to Moscow, according to court documents. The arrest prevented what prosecutors say was an attempt to flee the country with proceeds from an elaborate healthcare fraud operation.

Buzolin established Verisola, Inc. in Houston and registered the company as a durable medical equipment provider in July 2025, according to federal prosecutors. Over nine days spanning July and August 2025, he allegedly opened six different bank accounts for Verisola at six separate financial institutions, followed by two additional accounts at other banks in September and October 2025.

To conceal his true role in the operation, Buzolin allegedly submitted false documentation to financial institutions claiming he was the sole owner, member, or president of Verisola when he did not actually have beneficial ownership or control of the company, according to the indictment.

From August 2025 through January 2026, Verisola submitted over $400 million in fraudulent claims to Medicare Advantage Organizations for durable medical equipment including orthotic braces and glucose monitors that were never provided to patients, according to court documents. Medicare Advantage Organizations administer Medicare Part C and collectively reimbursed Verisola at least $1.7 million based on these false claims.

The fraud proceeds were deposited into the various Verisola bank accounts that Buzolin had opened, according to prosecutors. Buzolin then allegedly moved the money between accounts for no legitimate business purpose before he and co-conspirators wired at least $1.2 million of the fraud proceeds to overseas entities and bank accounts.

After Verisola ended its fraudulent billing operation, Buzolin traveled from Houston to Los Angeles where he purchased a same-day ticket for the one-way flight to Moscow, according to the Justice Department. FBI agents arrested him before he could board the aircraft, and he remains in federal custody pending trial.

The conspiracy to commit money laundering charge carries a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison if Buzolin is convicted, according to federal prosecutors. The charge specifically alleges he concealed and disguised the true nature, location, source and ownership of fraud proceeds while engaging in financial transactions exceeding $10,000 knowing they involved proceeds from unlawful activity.

Multiple federal and state agencies participated in the investigation, according to the Justice Department announcement. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, FBI Houston Field Office, Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, and Texas Department of Insurance conducted the probe.

The case falls under the Justice Department’s Health Care Fraud Strike Force Program, which has charged more than 6,200 defendants since March 2007 who collectively billed federal healthcare programs and private insurers more than $45 billion, according to the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section.

Assistant Attorney General A. Tysen Duva of the Justice Department’s Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney Nicholas J. Ganjei for the Southern District of Texas, and other federal and state officials announced the charges. Trial Attorneys Andrew Tamayo and Emily Reeder-Ricchetti of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.

The arrest highlights ongoing federal efforts to combat healthcare fraud targeting Medicare programs that serve millions of Americans nationwide.