LOS ANGELES — A social media video posted by Dr. Mehmet Oz, the Trump administration’s administrator of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS), has triggered civil rights complaints, political backlash, and widespread concern among Armenian Americans after Oz alleged that large-scale health care fraud in Los Angeles was driven by what he called “Russian Armenian mafia” groups.
The video, filmed in the Van Nuys neighborhood of Los Angeles and posted to official CMS social media accounts in late January, shows Oz standing outside buildings with Armenian-language signage, including an Armenian-owned bakery, while discussing alleged hospice and home health care fraud. In the video, Oz claims that roughly $3.5 billion in fraud has taken place in Los Angeles County and asserts—without presenting evidence in the recording—that “quite a bit of it” is run by Russian-Armenian criminal networks.
Within hours of the video’s release, Armenian American advocacy organizations, California state officials, and members of Congress condemned the remarks as racially charged, misleading, and dangerous. Both Gavin Newsom, the governor of California, and the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) filed formal civil rights complaints with the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, alleging that Oz’s conduct violated Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.
Allegations Made Without Evidence in Video
In the nearly four-minute video, Oz claims that a seven-fold increase in hospice providers in Los Angeles County could not have occurred “naturally” and repeatedly links the alleged fraud to “foreign influences,” specifically naming Russian-Armenian groups. He points to Armenian and Cyrillic lettering on storefronts as visual evidence of organized crime activity.
Oz did not identify specific individuals charged in the cases he referenced, nor did he provide documentation linking the businesses shown in the video to criminal activity. The Armenian bakery featured in the footage later reported a 30% drop in sales following the video’s circulation, according to Newsom’s office.
Oz and CMS did not respond to requests for comment regarding the civil rights complaints or to questions seeking substantiation for the claims made in the video.
Confirmed Fraud Oz’s Medical Record and Promotion of Unproven Products
Before entering public office, Dr. Mehmet Oz built national influence through The Dr. Oz Show, which aired for more than a decade and positioned Oz as a trusted medical authority for millions of viewers.
During that time, Oz repeatedly promoted supplements, weight-loss products, and alternative treatments that lacked scientific support, drawing criticism from medical experts and federal lawmakers. In 2014, a bipartisan group of U.S. senators urged the Federal Trade Commission to investigate Oz after he endorsed so-called “miracle” weight-loss supplements that experts said were ineffective and potentially misleading. Medical researchers later found that many of the health claims made on his program were unsupported by credible evidence.
That same year, a group of physicians petitioned Columbia University, where Oz held a faculty appointment, accusing him of demonstrating “an egregious lack of integrity” by promoting treatments without adequate proof. While Columbia defended Oz’s academic freedom, the controversy cemented concerns within the medical community about his blending of entertainment, commerce, and health advice.
Public health experts again criticized Oz during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he promoted unproven treatments and amplified speculative claims at a time when medical authorities stressed evidence-based guidance. Regulators and medical organizations warned that such messaging risked undermining public trust in science and health institutions.
Critics now argue that this history is relevant to Oz’s current role overseeing Medicare and Medicaid — programs that rely on rigorous standards of evidence, neutrality, and public trust. They note that Oz’s Los Angeles video alleging Armenian-linked fraud follows a familiar pattern in which sweeping claims are presented publicly without detailed sourcing or documentation.
Confirmed Fraud — and Confirmed Enforcement
Health care fraud is a documented and ongoing problem nationwide, including in California. State and federal authorities have investigated and prosecuted hospice and home health fraud cases involving individuals of various ethnic backgrounds. According to Newsom’s office, California revoked more than 280 hospice licenses and imposed a statewide moratorium on new licenses beginning in 2022 due to fraud concerns—actions taken prior to Oz’s visit.
Law enforcement officials have confirmed that individuals involved in hospice fraud schemes in Los Angeles County have been arrested, charged, and convicted. However, state officials emphasized that investigations have focused on specific actors and organizations—not ethnic communities.
“Medical fraud is serious. No one is denying that,” said Los Angeles City Councilmember Adrin Nazarian, who represents the Van Nuys area. “But you don’t investigate fraud by pointing cameras at bakeries and ethnic signage.”
Civil Rights Complaints Cite Risk of Harm
In its civil rights complaint, Newsom’s office argued that Oz’s remarks risk discouraging Armenian Americans from accessing Medicare and Medicaid services and could bias enforcement actions.
“Such racially charged and false public statements… risk chilling participation in those programs,” Newsom wrote, adding that the harm is compounded when the statements come from “the top decision-maker at CMS.”
ANCA’s complaint similarly alleges that Oz’s conduct constitutes national origin discrimination under Title VI, which prohibits discrimination in federally funded programs. Armenian Americans qualify as a protected class based on shared ancestry and national origin.
“This sort of ethnic scapegoating is as toxic as it is dangerous,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian, who accused Oz of staging a “theatric collective indictment of all Armenians.”
Historical Context Intensifies Reaction
The reaction to Oz’s remarks has been intensified by his personal history and longstanding geopolitical tensions. Oz is a dual U.S.-Turkish citizen and previously served in Turkey’s military. He has repeatedly declined to formally recognize the Armenian Genocide—the systematic killing of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire between 1915 and 1923—despite its recognition by the U.S. Congress and President Biden.
Turkey continues to deny the genocide, a position that remains a source of deep trauma for Armenian communities worldwide.
“When a federal official with ties to the perpetrator nation of a genocide singles out Armenians as criminal, context matters,” said Glendale City Councilmember Elen Asatryan. “This is not tough enforcement. It is targeting.”
A Familiar Pattern in National Politics
Oz’s video also fits into a broader national pattern in which claims of fraud are paired with ethnic or immigrant scapegoating. In Minnesota, federal investigations into alleged fraud at daycare centers operated by Somali Americans led to sweeping immigration crackdowns and civil unrest, despite the fact that fraud cases involved specific individuals, not entire communities.
Civil rights advocates argue that such messaging creates an “us versus them” narrative—one that frames certain communities as inherently suspect while presenting enforcement actions as public protection.
“This is how othering works,” said Alex Galitsky, ANCA’s policy director. “You take a kernel of truth—yes, fraud exists—and inflate it into a narrative that implicates an entire people.”
Complicated Community Response
The controversy has also exposed internal divisions within the Armenian American community. Many Armenians have historically identified as white and have supported President Trump and his administration. Some social media users acknowledged that Armenian individuals have been involved in fraud schemes while still condemning Oz’s rhetoric.
“Investigate crimes, not communities,” wrote one commenter. “Fraud is committed by individuals, not bloodlines.”
Others warned that blind political loyalty can obscure how quickly proximity to whiteness dissolves when a group becomes politically convenient to target.
What Remains Undisputed
Several facts are not in dispute:
Health care fraud exists and has been prosecuted in California.
Individuals of Armenian descent have been charged in some fraud cases, as have individuals from many other ethnic groups.
Dr. Oz did not present evidence linking the businesses shown in his video to criminal activity.
Civil rights complaints have been formally filed and are under review.
The video caused documented economic harm to at least one Armenian-owned business.
What remains unresolved is whether Oz’s conduct violated federal civil rights law—and whether the broader strategy of ethnicized enforcement rhetoric will continue.
As investigations proceed, advocates say the case serves as a reminder of a lesson repeatedly borne out in American history: when communities accept collective blame narratives directed at “others,” the circle of suspicion rarely stays fixed.
For the Inclusive Voices Project, the story is not about denying crime—or defending it—but about insisting on accuracy, accountability, and the difference between enforcement and fear.
Because two things can be true at the same time. And ignoring either comes at a cost.
