Nine Medicaid providers have been indicted for allegedly defrauding the government health-care program of $530,888, according to the Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office. The indictments were filed this month in Franklin County Common Pleas Court following investigations by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a division within Yost’s office.
Attorney General Yost commented on the charges: “Cheating Medicaid earns you nothing but a court date and a criminal record. We’re working hard for Ohioans to recover ill-gotten gains and bring fraudsters to justice.”
The cases involve several types of alleged misconduct. Some providers are accused of billing for in-home services while clients were hospitalized, while others reportedly sent unqualified individuals to care for clients or forged client signatures on timesheets.
Specific allegations include:
– A Cleveland provider was indicted on charges of Medicaid fraud and theft after investigators found a $45,205 loss to Medicaid. Three clients reported that she rarely showed up, provided minimal care, or sent unqualified substitutes, yet billed for full shifts.
– A West Chester couple is accused of running multiple billing schemes through their business, Hearts of Care Home Health Care Agency. Investigators allege they caused a $344,602 loss between June 2023 and November 2024 by inflating service hours and billing when providers were traveling or when clients were hospitalized.
– A South Charleston provider allegedly continued billing after stopping services to a client and forged the client’s signature on timesheets, resulting in a $22,886 loss.
– A Cincinnati provider is accused of falsifying timesheets to appear as if she had provided services to a relative when she had not. The loss totaled $2,896. When questioned by investigators about her actual work hours, she replied: “I think I should pay it all back.”
– An Uhrichsville provider allegedly billed for seven days per week but admitted working only six days. This resulted in a $5,337 loss.
– An Akron provider allegedly inflated hours and billed while traveling or when clients were unavailable. She admitted to investigators that she committed fraud because she “needed the money” and “knew better.” The loss was calculated at $36,380.
– A Cleveland provider was indicted after an investigation determined a $63,471 loss from billing for dates when services were canceled or unauthorized.
– A West Union provider was charged with overbilling totaling $10,111 from July 2022 through October 2024.
The Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works with federal, state, and local partners to investigate health-care providers suspected of defrauding Medicaid and enforces laws protecting vulnerable adults from abuse or neglect. Indictments are criminal allegations; defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
The unit receives most of its funding—75%—from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant totaling $16.5 million for fiscal year 2026; the remaining funds come from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.
