Buckeye Reporter

Ten Medicaid providers have been indicted in Franklin County, Ohio, on charges of fraud and theft after allegedly billing the government health-care program for services not rendered. The total loss to Medicaid is estimated at $1.9 million, with two defendants accounting for more than $1.7 million.

The indictments follow an investigation by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit within the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost. The unit is tasked with investigating and prosecuting health-care providers who defraud the state’s Medicaid program and enforcing patient abuse and neglect laws.

“Would-be thieves ought to think twice before setting their sights on Medicaid dollars,” said Attorney General Yost. “Our Medicaid Fraud Control Unit is always on the lookout for sticky-fingered criminals to bring to justice.”

According to details from the Attorney General's office, nine home-health aides and one provider of home-delivered meals face felony charges. Specific allegations include billing for services during out-of-state travel, submitting claims for care not provided, inflating service hours, using another person's credentials, and operating kickback schemes with clients.

The cases illustrate various fraudulent methods:

- One defendant was removed from a client’s plan in February 2024 but continued billing almost daily for six months.

- Another billed Medicaid for up to 100 home-delivered meals a day per client over two years.

- Several were found to have billed while traveling or during periods when clients did not receive care.

- In some instances, adult children or other unauthorized individuals performed services that were then falsely billed under the provider’s name.

Investigators relied on records such as Cash App transactions and travel documentation to substantiate many of these claims.

The Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit operates in collaboration with federal, state, and local agencies. For fiscal year 2025, it receives most of its funding—75 percent—from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services through a grant totaling $15.3 million; the remaining 25 percent comes from the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.