10 Medicaid Providers Facing Fraud, Theft Charges

COLUMBUS, Ohio—In indictments filed this week by the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost, 10 Medicaid providers are accused of stealing a combined $1.9 million from Medicaid.

Nine home health aides and one provider of home-delivered meals 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 $1.7 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 (Ohio) Common Pleas Court.

“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.”

Among those indicted:

• Gabrielle Trudell Carn, 36, of Columbus: Carn 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.
• Terri Cotton, 54, of Cleveland: An unusually high number of claims for home-delivered meals drew investigators’ attention to Cotton. Records spanning more than two years show that she regularly billed Medicaid for up to 100 home-delivered meals a day for each of her four clients. The loss to Medicaid totaled $1,271,639.
• Shylynn Flint, 24, of Blanchester: Flint allegedly 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.
• Toya Hale, 52, of Canton: Two clients reported that Hale failed to provide services, but a third client claimed that Hale never missed a shift. Through a review of Cash App transactions, investigators determined that Hale and the third client were engaged in a kickback scheme. Additionally, some services in Hale’s billing records overlapped with her other job at the Greater Cleveland Regional Transit Authority. The loss to Medicaid totaled $10,204.
• Creshawnda Hughes, 33, of Akron: Hughes allegedly billed often 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.
• Regina Johnson, 34, of Avon: Airline and hotel records show that Johnson 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: Knox 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: Powell 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.
• Juan Watson, 36, of Cleveland: Records show Watson often billed for 16 hours of services per day, but clients reported receiving services that lasted only a few hours. Additionally, Watson allegedly billed for services when he was traveling out of state. The loss to Medicaid totaled $431,579.
• Cheyenne Williams, 61, of Cleveland: A service recipient reported that Williams 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.