- Fugitives
- Nov 4, 2026
$100M Medicaid Fugitive CAUGHT In Vietnam After Cutting Off Her Ankle Monitor & Fleeing Texas
- by Statewide Files,
- in Fugitives
A Houston lab owner accused in a nearly $100 million health care fraud scheme cut off her ankle monitor in 2022 and vanished. In September 2026, FBI Director Kash Patel announced that Emylee Thai had been captured in Vietnam, three months after the FBI put her on its new Most Wanted Fraudsters list. Federal officials say her lab billed Medicare about $142 million for genetic tests patients did not need and was paid about $95 million.
Presumption of innocence
How the DNA swab and doctors’ orders scheme worked, according to investigators Why genetic tests became a target for health care fraud The July 2022 indictment and her release on bond The ankle monitor, the Las Vegas airport and the private plane The FBI’s new Most Wanted Fraudsters list and the $150,000 reward The capture announcement and what happens next Emylee Thai is charged with health care fraud conspiracy and related federal crimes. She has not been convicted and is presumed innocent.
Sources
HHS Office of Inspector General fugitive page; FBI; FBI Director’s statement, Sept. 14, 2026; U.S. Department of Justice; KHOU 11; KVUE; ABC13; KPRC 2 / Click2Houston. News footage is used under fair use for news reporting and commentary.
