Arkansas Attorney General issued the following announcement on Sept. 7.
Arkansas Attorney General Leslie Rutledge announced the arrest of Crittenden County and Desha County women.
“Those who take advantage of the Medicaid program will be prosecuted,” said Attorney General Rutledge. “As Arkansas’s chief law enforcement officer, I will not tolerate people who abuse this vital safety net.”
Tylisha Pope, 28, of Marion, is accused of forging a physician’s signature on the paperwork for two Medicaid patients in order to authorize services. Pope is also accused of billing for services not rendered from October 2016 to January 2017, totaling more than $3,900. She is charged with two counts of Medicaid fraud, Class C felonies. Following an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, Pope turned herself in to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department and was released on $2,500 bond.
Shirley Owens, 62, of Dumas, is accused of being married to the Medicaid recipient to whom she was providing services while submitting billing documents for her services, totaling more than $10,000 for services she was not eligible to provide due to the marriage. She is charged with one count of Medicaid fraud, a Class B felony. Following an investigation by the Attorney General’s Office, Owens turned herself in to the Pulaski County Sheriff’s Department and was released on her own recognizance.
Both cases were referred to the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by the Office of Medicaid Inspector General.
Original source can be found here.