Nearly 100 people across the country have been arrested for Medicare fraud, some of them doctors, nurses, and other health professionals.

So-called Medicare Fraud Strike Force teams arrested people in eight U.S. cities, including Los Angeles and Miami.

The announcement was made on Wednesday by U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder and Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius.

Today's arrests are a powerful warning to those who would try to defraud taxpayers and Medicare beneficiaries, Sebelius said.

She added a warning.

And our efforts to stop criminals don't end here because the Affordable Care Act gives us new tools to prevent Medicare fraud before it is committed, she said.

The defendants allegedly participated in fraud schemes that totaled approximately $295 million in false billings. They are accused of participating in fraud schemes such as money laundering and violations of anti-kickback statutes.

The defendants charged in this takedown are accused of stealing precious taxpayer resources and defrauding Medicare- jeopardizing the integrity of our health care system and our nation's most critical health care program for personal gain, Holder said.

Officials said that fraud operations took place in Baton Rouge, Chicago, Dallas, Detroit, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami and New York City.

Miami had the most defendants, 46 to be exact, and their fraud schemes allegedly total more than $159 million. The defendants include one doctor and one nurse.

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