Last month the L.A. County district attorney’s office announced that Munir Uwaydah M.D. had been arrested in Germany on suspicion of masterminding a massive workers’ compensation insurance fraud scheme and was awaiting extradition. For years his whereabouts have been something of a mystery. Los Angeles County prosecutors said they suspected the surgeon fled the country for Lebanon after one of his associates was arrested on a murder charge in 2010.

However, the Los Angeles Times reports today that Uwaydah is not in custody and remains a fugitive. His whereabouts remains unknown.

On Tuesday a district attorney’s spokeswoman backtracked, saying that Uwaydah remained at large. “We were previously informed by the appropriate international authorities that he was in custody in Germany,” Jane Robison wrote in a short email to several reporters. “We were subsequently advised that he is not in custody.” Robison did not provide an explanation, saying in the email that the statement would be the office’s only comment.

Indictments unsealed last month accuse Uwaydah, 49, of running one of California’s largest insurance fraud schemes. More than a dozen other people accused of taking part in the scheme are in custody. More than $150 million was fraudulently billed to insurance companies, the district attorney’s office alleged, saying those involved hid the money in shell bank accounts. Millions of dollars were transferred to accounts in Lebanon and Estonia, according to a bail motion filed by prosecutors.

The prosecution of the co-conspirators will continue to proceed through the justice system.