WASHINGTON (MCT) — Doctors, nurses and social workers from across the country, 107 in all, were charged in what federal officials in Washington called a “nationwide takedown” of medical professionals accused of fraudulently billing Medicare nearly half a billion dollars.

The amount of bogus Medicare claims, about $452 million, was the highest in a single raid in the history of a federal strike force combating rising fraud in the medical industry, according to the Justice Department. Arrests were made in seven major cities.