ANCA responds to Mehmet Oz`s claims that healthcare fraud in Los  Angeles is linked to "Russian- Armenian groups"

ArmInfo.The Armenian National Committee of America-Western Region (ANCA-WR) has responded to claims by Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Administrator Mehmet Oz that healthcare fraud in Los Angeles County is linked to "foreign influence," including "Russian-Armenian  groups."

The statement received from the Organization expresses strong condemnation of recent statements and a video released by  Mehmet Oz regarding both the alleged healthcare fraud in Los Angeles County being linked to "foreign influence," including "Russian-  Armenian groups," and the attempts to portray Armenian identity and language as signs of criminality.

The Armenian National Committee of America's West Wing emphasizes  that fraud is a crime, and any proven violation must be investigated  and punished according to the law, regardless of a person's origin.   However, the rule of law requires individual suspicion and evidence,  not innuendo or assumptions based on language, culture, or ethnicity.

"Public officials are obligated to uphold both the letter and spirit  of the Constitution. When law enforcement rhetoric descends into  ethnic generalizations, it threatens civil rights and entire  communities.  Armenian-Americans, like all Americans, deserve equal  justice under the law," Oshin Harutyunyan, President of the Armenian  National Committee of America's West Wing, said.

The  statement emphasizes that for Armenian-Americans, given the  legacy of the Armenian Genocide and more than a century of denial,  such rhetoric is not just rhetoric, but a repetition of dangerous  historical patterns. "It is particularly troubling that these  statements come from a federal official responsible for protecting  public health programs."

The ANCA also warns that such rhetoric effectively amounts to public,  hateful speech, encouraging the targeting of Armenian-American  businesses and professionals, and laying the groundwork for  discriminatory law enforcement practices.

The organization called on Mehmet Oz and CMS to immediately retract  and correct rhetoric linking the alleged fraud to Armenian identity,  language, or culture; ensure that all investigations are  evidence-based and non-discriminatory; abandon class-action blaming  of communities; and collaborate with community structures to restore  trust and ensure full protection of civil rights.

The statement also expresses a commitment to supporting a rigorous,  lawful, and fair fight against fraud while protecting the civil and  human rights of all communities. The Committee also notes that  numerous Members of Congress have consistently spoken out against  hate speech, ethnic discrimination, and persecution of Armenian  Americans and other minorities. These statements and actions  underscore the bipartisan expectation that federal law enforcement  activities must remain evidence-based and fully consistent with the  protection of civil rights.