(Source: Raycom Media)Missouri Attorney General’s office has announced that his office, along with the St. Louis County Prosecuting Attorney, Pemiscot County Prosecuting Attorney and Jackson County Prosecuting Attorney has obtained indictments and charged personal care attendants with defrauding Missouri’s Medicaid program.
Julius Terry of St. Louis, Reida Thornton of St. Louis, Felicia Ricks of Caruthersville and Angel Zahnter of Kansas City are facing the charges. Medicaid recipient Joyce Terry of St. Louis was indicted for defrauding Missouri’s Medicaid program and Medicaid recipient Michael Robinson of Caruthersville was charged with conspiring to defraud Missouri’s Medicaid program.
The cases involve Missouri Medicaid’s Personal Care or Consumer Directed Services programs. These programs provide in-home personal care services to Medicaid recipients who have qualified for the nursing home level of care.
Pemiscot County Cases
According to the Attorney General, Felicia Ricks was charged with one count of Medicaid Fraud for allegedly claiming to provide in-home personal care services to Michael Robinson while Robinson was incarcerated in the Pemiscot County Jail. In turn, Robinson was charged with one count of Conspiracy to Commit Medicaid Fraud for conspiring with Ricks to defraud Medicaid. Together, Ricks and Robinson allegedly defrauded Medicaid in excess of $6,000. Both Ricks and Robinson were charged as prior and persistent felony offenders.
The Pemiscot County cases are being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Aaron Maness and Pemiscot County Prosecuting Attorney Jereme Lytle.
“Let this be a reminder that those who defraud the State and steal taxpayer dollars will be prosecuted,” MO State AG Josh Hawley said. “I am grateful to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and our partners in the United States Department of Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General as well as the St. Louis County Prosecutor’s Office, the Pemiscot County Prosecutor’s Office, and the Jackson County Prosecutor’s Office.”
The defendants in these cases are alleged to have defrauded these programs, in total, of more than $49,000.
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