A Russian national made his initial appearance in Houston, Texas, on a charge that he laundered over $1.2 million derived from a healthcare fraud scheme that targeted Medicare Advantage Organizations (MAOs) that administer Medicare Part C.
According to court documents, Nikolai Buzolin, 38, formerly of Houston, Texas, and originally of Tyumen, Russia, established Verisola, Inc. in Houston and registered it as a durable medical equipment company in July 2025.
Over the nine days from July through August 2025, Buzolin allegedly opened six different bank accounts in the name of Verisola at six different financial institutions. He opened an additional two bank accounts at two other financial institutions in September and October 2025. To disguise the true ownership and control of Verisola, Buzolin allegedly submitted false documentation to these financial institutions listing himself as the sole owner, member or president, when in fact he did not have beneficial ownership or control of Verisola.
From August 2025 through January 2026, Verisola allegedly submitted over $400 million in false and fraudulent claims to MAOs for DME, including orthotic braces and glucose monitors that were never actually provided to patients. Based on these fraudulent claims, the MAOs collectively reimbursed Verisola at least $1.7 million, which was deposited into the various Verisola bank accounts that Buzolin opened. Buzolin then allegedly moved these fraud proceeds between bank accounts for no legitimate business purpose. Buzolin and his co-conspirators wired at least $1.2 million of fraud proceeds to overseas entities and bank accounts.
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According to the indictment, after Verisola wound down its fraudulent billing scheme, Buzolin traveled from Houston, Texas, to Los Angeles, California, where he purchased a same-day airline ticket for a one-way flight to Moscow, Russia. The FBI arrested Buzolin before he boarded the flight, and he remains detained pending trial.
Buzolin is charged with conspiracy to commit money laundering by concealing and disguising the true nature, location, source and ownership of the fraud proceeds and by engaging in financial transactions greater than $10,000 knowing that they involved the proceeds of unlawful activity. If convicted, he faces a statutory maximum penalty of 20 years in prison.
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; Acting Deputy Inspector General for Investigations Scott J. Lampert of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General (HHS-OIG); Acting Special Agent in Charge Jason M. Hudson of the FBI’s Houston Field Office; Chief William Marlowe of the Texas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit; and Commissioner Amanda Crawford of the Texas Department of Insurance made the announcement.
HHS-OIG, FBI, the Texas Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and the Texas Department of Insurance are investigating the case.
Trial Attorneys Andrew Tamayo and Emily Reeder-Ricchetti of the Criminal Division’s Fraud Section are prosecuting the case.
The Fraud Section leads the Criminal Division’s efforts to combat healthcare fraud through the HealthCare Fraud Strike Force Program. Since March 2007, this program, currently comprised of eight strike forces operating in federal districts across the country, has charged more than 6,200 defendants who collectively billed federal healthcare programs and private insurers more than $45 billion.
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