Chat GPT UBIOME

 You’re thinking of uBiome, Inc.

They were a San Francisco microbiome startup (poop-testing kits by mail) founded in 2012 and shut down in 2019 after an FBI raid and insurance-billing investigations. Wikipedia+1

A few anchor details to match your memory:

• Location & era: San Francisco–based, peak hype mid-2010s, collapsed around 2019—so right in your 5–10 year window. Wikipedia

• Business model: Sequencing fecal samples and other microbiome sites (products like SmartGut) and billing insurers thousands of dollars per test for “clinical” versions. CBS News+1

• Billing scandal: Federal prosecutors allege they sought ~$300M in claims and were paid $35M+ for tests that weren’t medically necessary or properly validated, often repeatedly billed and pushed through via aggressive tactics with physicians. Office of Inspector General+2CBS News+2

• Aftermath: FBI raid (April 2019), bankruptcy later that year, then 2021 DOJ/SEC charges against co-founders Jessica Richman and Zachary Apte for securities and health-care fraud; they’re now considered fugitives. Wikipedia+2Department of Justice+2

So: uBiome is the poop-analysis lab you’re remembering.

You said:

The story peetered out with the top executives in hiding or vanished? Fled overseas? Dead trail?

ChatGPT said:

Here’s what is known (or at least commonly reported) today about the fate of the top executives from uBiome — and yes, the trail has largely gone cold.

✅ What we do know

• Their names are Jessica Richman and Zachary Apte. They were co-founders/CEOs of uBiome, and in 2021 were indicted on a 47-count federal indictment (securities fraud, healthcare fraud, money laundering, etc.) for allegedly defrauding investors and insurers. Department of Justice+2SEC+2

• The financial and fraud allegations are serious: prosecutors say uBiome submitted over $300 million in insurance claims (of which insurers paid $35 M+), and misled investors about the business’s sustainability and growth. UCSF Synapse+2Department of Justice+2

• The company declared bankruptcy in 2019, and has been defunct since then. Wikipedia+1

🚨 What happened to them — “fugitives,” abroad, trail largely cold

• According to public reporting and government filings, Richman and Apte relocated to Germany in mid-2020, after uBiome’s offices were raided and while investigations had begun. Business of Business+2Wikipedia+2

• U.S. authorities have described them as “fugitives” evading prosecution, and there are outstanding warrants for their arrest. Wall Street Journal+2UCSF Synapse+2

• Because Apte has German citizenship (and Richman is his spouse), U.S. prosecutors believe extradition may be difficult or impossible. UCSF Synapse+1

• As of the last publicly available reporting, their whereabouts are not definitively known; reports suggest they may be living somewhere in Berlin or elsewhere in Germany — but efforts by journalists to locate them reportedly failed. UCSF Synapse+1

🧩 Why the trail went cold — and remains cold

• They fled the U.S. before charges were unsealed — timing likely chosen to thwart legal action. Business of Business+1

• The complexity of international extradition and their German citizenship complicate U.S. attempts to bring them to trial. UCSF Synapse+1

• There appear to have been only limited updates afterwards: while there are still civil lawsuits (e.g. insurance-related D&O suits) tied to the collapse of uBiome and claims against the former executives, their criminal prosecution seems stalled. Insurance Business+1

• Media coverage on their whereabouts has dwindled — there’s little recent public information on their current status or location.

✅ Conclusion: Yes — they “vanished,” in the sense of leaving the U.S. and remaining fugitives abroad

So in summary: the senior leaders of uBiome — Richman and Apte — fled the U.S., are officially fugitives, and have lived abroad (reportedly Germany) since around 2020. As of the last public reports, their exact whereabouts are uncertain, and no public record shows they’ve returned or been extradited.

If you like — I can check the most recent public court filings or media reporting (2024–2025) to see if there’s any update on them (arrests, death, extradition efforts, etc.).
Do you want me to fetch that now?