Rep. Krishnamoorthi Sounds Alarm on Anti-Indian Hate After Aurora Hindu Temple Shooting, Lab Owner Faces COVID Fraud Charges
Representative Raja Krishnamoorthi issued an urgent warning about rising anti-Indian hate crimes after an attempted mass shooting targeted his family's Hindu temple in Aurora, Illinois, bringing national attention to the safety of South Asian religious institutions in the Chicago suburbs. Separately, federal prosecutors charged an Indian-origin laboratory owner in a $66.2 million COVID-19 test fraud case.
Krishnamoorthi Sounds Alarm After Attempted Shooting at His Family's Aurora Hindu Temple
Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi, who represents Illinois's 8th Congressional District encompassing much of the northwest Chicago suburbs, issued a formal response to an attempted mass shooting at a Hindu temple in Aurora that his family has long attended. In a press release published through his official House.gov page, the congressman described the incident as deeply personal, noting the targeted site was a place of worship tied to his own family. Beyond condemning the specific attack, Krishnamoorthi used the statement to draw attention to what he characterized as a broader and accelerating pattern of anti-Indian hate in the United States. He warned of surging hostility directed at South Asian communities and Hindu institutions, framing the Aurora attack as a symptom of a troubling national trend rather than an isolated incident. The press release signaled an intent to press for greater federal attention to the safety of diaspora religious institutions. Krishnamoorthi's statement came as Hindu temples and Indian-American community centers across the country have faced increased reports of bias-motivated threats, vandalism, and violence, making the congressman's public call for accountability a significant moment for Indian-American civic engagement in Illinois and beyond. [1]
Indian-Origin Lab Owner Charged in $66.2 Million COVID Test Fraud Case
The U.S. Department of Justice announced federal charges against an Indian-origin laboratory owner alleged to have submitted $66.2 million in fraudulent COVID-19 test claims to federal healthcare programs, according to a report from The Times of India. The case centered on billing practices at a laboratory operation, with prosecutors contending the claims were bogus — either fabricated, never performed, or submitted under improper conditions. The scale of the alleged fraud placed the case among the larger pandemic-related billing prosecutions tied to emergency healthcare programs established during the COVID-19 crisis. Federal investigators have pursued dozens of such cases across the country as auditors review claims submitted under rushed pandemic-era reimbursement frameworks. The case drew attention in Indian-American media circles given the defendant's background, adding to a small but notable group of high-profile fraud prosecutions involving Indian-origin business owners in the American healthcare sector. The DOJ's move reflected continued federal commitment to pursuing COVID-19 fraud at scale, with pandemic-related prosecutions continuing years after the peak of the health emergency and the original funding authorizations. [2]
Sources: [1] House.gov · [2] The Times of India