9 Medicaid Providers Indicted on Fraud Charges

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — In indictments filed this week by the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, nine Medicaid providers are accused of stealing a combined $1.2 million from the government health-care program for the needy.
 
Eight home-health aides and one mental-health specialist face varying felony charges of Medicaid fraud and theft for allegedly billing Medicaid for services they did not provide. Two of the defendants alone account for more than $1 million of the alleged fraud.   
 
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, an arm of Yost’s office, investigated the cases and secured the indictments in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.
 
“Medicaid fraud is both a crime and a moral offense,” Yost said. “It steals from the vulnerable and undermines our values as a society.”
 
Among those indicted:

• Achana Brown, 47, of Maple Heights, allegedly billed for in-home services when the recipient was hospitalized or incarcerated, causing a $4,735 loss for Medicaid.
   
• While employed by Assess Homecare Solutions, Erica Buford, 49, of Dayton, allegedly billed for in-home services when a recipient was hospitalized, leading to a $1,888 loss for Medicaid. In an interview with investigators, she admitted to submitting the fraudulent claims.
   
• As a qualified provider of mental-health services for Heart to Heart Health and Wellness, Shena Ellis-Wilson, 48, of Warrensville Heights, allegedly billed Medicaid more than a dozen times after she stopped providing services to a client. She told investigators that she falsified the claims to reimburse herself for unpaid work. The loss to Medicaid totaled $2,443.
   
• James Ferguson, 28, of Cleveland, is accused of consistently claiming reimbursement for 16 hours of services per day for each of his six clients even though investigators determined that he never provided 16 hours of services in a single day to any of them. Two clients told investigators that, after an initial visit, Ferguson provided them no additional services. The loss to Medicaid totaled $724,966.
   
• While employed by Grateful Hearts Healthcare Services, Lisa Forbes, 39, of Columbus, allegedly billed for in-home services when the recipient was hospitalized on seven separate occasions, causing a $6,523 loss for Medicaid. She admitted to investigators that she knew she wasn’t legally allowed to bill for services when the recipient was hospitalized.
   
• As an employee of Amazing Grace Home Care, Kenya Nevins, 45, of Dayton allegedly billed for services on 21 days when the recipient was hospitalized, causing a $1,835 for Medicaid. She told investigators that she knew she could not bill for the services when the recipient was hospitalized.
   
• While employed by Sympathy Home Health Care, Jazmine Reddick, 29, of Cleveland, allegedly falsified time sheets to make it appear that she had provided services she had not. She estimated for investigators that 80% of her billed services were never actually provided, saying she submitted the fraudulent claims to avoid losing her cash assistance benefits. The loss to Medicaid totaled $3,385.
   
• In providing care to a relative, Desiree Reid, 53, of Maple Heights, billed Medicaid for an average of 20 hours of services per day between January 2019 and March 2025. Surveillance footage spanning 18 days showed Reid approach the service recipient’s residence only twice – and never went inside. Using flight records, investigators also determined that Reid billed for 93 days that she was traveling in Florida, Missouri, Nevada, Pennsylvania, South Carolina and the Dominican Republic. The loss to Medicaid totaled $366,950.
   
• While provided services to five clients, Dalana Thompson, 54, of Cleveland allegedly billed frequently for two shifts when she had worked only one, causing a $143,731 loss for Medicaid. When confronted by investigators, she confessed to submitting the fraudulent claims.

Ohio’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which operates within the Health Care Fraud Section, collaborates with federal, state and local partners to root out Medicaid fraud and protect vulnerable adults from harm. The unit investigates and prosecutes health-care providers who defraud the state Medicaid program and enforces the state’s Patient Abuse and Neglect Law.
 
Indictments are criminal allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.
 
The Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $15,343,488 for federal fiscal year 2025. The remaining 25% – totaling $5,114,493 for FY 2025 – is funded by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dominic Binkley: 614-728-4127

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