When a Yuma doctor was arrested earlier this summer on multiple charges of theft and fraud, left behind were employees who were only doing their job and not involved in the alleged activity.
Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced June 24 that her office filed charges against 42 defendants across 10 cases as part of the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The charges were filed in five Arizona counties and Attorney General Mayes said they represent "one of the most significant coordinated health care enforcement actions in the state's history."
One of the cases the attorney general announced is the State of Arizona vs. Irfan Fazil and Bio Family Clinic.
Fazil, 54, of Yuma, and his business Bio Family Clinic were charged with Fraudulent Schemes and Artifices, Illegal Control of an Enterprise, Theft, Conspiracy and drug-related felonies. Mayes said Fazil allegedly operated a racketeering enterprise to defraud the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, also known as AHCCCS, out of millions of dollars between July 2025 and May of this year.
AHCCCS is Arizona's Medicaid agency. Fazil is charged with conspiring to commit money laundering and theft while also unlawfully possessing and administering dangerous drugs. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Ryan Dill with the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
KAWC spoke with Elena, who worked at Bio Family Clinic for 3.5 years as a nurse practitioner. Elena asked that we only use her first name. She said she moved from Texas to Yuma specifically for the job.
Elena said there was a history of employees not getting paid on time from the clinic.
"(Fazil) only paid some people direct deposit and other people he would pay through check. He would eventually get your check to you. And you would just worry 'is this check going to bounce?'" Elena said. "It was always a question- am I going to get paid?"
Elena said she and her coworkers were blindsided when Dr. Fazil was arrested.
"The employees there want to serve the community... I believe that we had a good group of employees and we bonded with each other. And we didn't know any of this was going on," Elena said. "A lot of us still want to serve the community. We hope to find a place that will accept us."
Elena and other former employees told KAWC they feel they are being blacklisted as they look for new employment. Teresa Manjarrez worked for one year as a medical assistant.
"I've been applying... with my luck, it's been really hard here, especially since there's a lot of competition now," Manjarrez said. "I'm still waiting on a call for anything."
Fazil remains in custody on a $50 million bond. KAWC reached out to Attorney General Mayes' office but a spokesman said they cannot comment on ongoing litigation.
Jeremy Claridge, Fazil's attorney, declined to comment on behalf of his client.
In a statement to KAWC, Brett Bezio, Public Relations Chief with the Department of Economic Security in Phoenix said "The Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES) understands that the closing of a business can disrupt the lives of the individuals who worked there, the local economy, and the surrounding community. Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits are a critical resource for individuals who have lost a job through no fault of their own."
"While we cannot provide case-specific information, in general, when an individual files for UI and they believe the wages reported and/or not reported are incorrect, DES provides information about how they can file a wage protest, per Arizona Revised Statutes § 23-773 and Arizona Administrative Code § R6-3-1803. While processing a wage protest, DES will reach out to the claimant and employer to obtain potentially missing wage information. Wages can be reported by an employer, or added by a claimant when providing proof of income (e.g. check stubs or W2s)."
Bill Richards was appointed as the receiver in the case. A receiver is a neutral thrird party who handles assets to assist victims. KAWC left messages with Richards but have not heard back.
Alexys Hernandez worked for 4.5 years as a medical assistant. She wants the public to know that she and other support staff are only looking for what they are owed.
"There are a lot of people who think we're a part of it, we had something to do with it," Hernandez said. "We just worked there to make a living."
"The only thing I can say to the community is... this wasn't our fault. We didn't know anything about it," she said. "We're all affected by it. There's a lot of us who were laid off and we can't get any jobs... especially now because it's summertime and no one's hiring."
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Stay tuned to KAWC for more information on the Bio Family Clinic case as it becomes available.
