(The Center Square) – Ten health care providers accused of stealing nearly $2 million from Medicaid have been indicted, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost said Friday.
Overall, nine home-health aides and one home-delivered meals provider face felony charges of Medicaid fraud and theft for allegedly billing Medicaid for services they didn’t provide.
Two of those charged accounted for more than $1.7 million of the total $1.9 million in fraud.
“Would-be thieves ought to think twice before setting their sights on Medicaid dollars,” Yost said. “Our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is always on the lookout for sticky-fingered criminals to bring to justice.”
According to the indictment, Terri Cotton, 54, of Cleveland, regularly billed Medicaid for two years for up to 100 home-delivered meals a day for four different clients. The total loss to Medicaid was $1.27 million.
Also, law enforcement records show Juan Watson, 36, of Cleveland, often billed for 16 hours of services a day, but clients said those services lasted only a few hours. He also is accused of billing for services when he was traveling out of state. The losses totaled $431,579.
Others indicted included:
• Gabrielle Trudell Carn, 36, of Columbus, was removed from a client’s plan of care in February 2024 but allegedly continued to bill for 10 hours of services almost daily for six more months, causing a $33,368 loss for Medicaid.
• Records show that Shylynn Flint, 24, of Blanchester, billed for services when she was traveling in Las Vegas and for dates on which she had canceled or missed shifts, leading to a $5,217 loss for Medicaid.
• Two clients reported that Toya Hale, 52, of Canton, failed to provide services, but a third client claimed Hale never missed a shift. Reviewing Cash App transactions, investigators determined that Hale and the third client were engaged in a kickback scheme. Also, some services in Hale’s billing records overlapped with her job at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. The loss to Medicaid totaled $10,204.
• Creshawnda Hughes, 33, of Akron, allegedly billed for more hours of services than she provided, claiming reimbursement for up to eight hours per shift when she had worked only two hours. The loss to Medicaid totaled $25,900.
• Airline and hotel records show that Regina Johnson, 34, of Avon, was traveling in Florida, Massachusetts and Texas on dates she billed for services, leading to a $20,140 loss for Medicaid. When confronted by investigators, she confessed to submitting the fraudulent claims.
• Yolanda Knox, 50, of Dayton, allegedly billed for services when traveling, when clients were not home and on holidays and weekends when she did not work. In some cases, Knox sent her adult children to provide services on her behalf. The loss to Medicaid totaled $56,666.
• Sirina Powell, 50, of Canton, allegedly used her mother’s name and provider credentials to bill Medicaid for services, including some that were never provided. According to clients, Powell also went by her mother’s name when providing services. The loss to Medicaid totaled $5,758.
• A customer reported that Cheyenne Williams, 61, of Cleveland, stopped providing services in March 2024, but records show that she continued to bill Medicaid for 10 more months. Williams also allegedly billed for holidays she did not work. The loss to Medicaid totaled $19,726.
