Seven people have been arrested by the Arkansas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MCFU), Tim Griffin announced on Thursday.
Griffin says the arrests have resulted in five felony and two misdemeanors charges including Medicaid fraud, abuse of a vulnerable person, and failure to report the abuse of an adult.
The arrests are listed below:
- 59-year-old Conway native Sharon Whitaker was arrested and charged with felony Medicaid fraud on Sept. 11. According to a release, Whitaker submitted claims totaling $6,850.56 for personal care services for clients within the apartment complex she managed during her scheduled hours as the property manager.
- Booneville native John Weis, 21, was arrested on Sept. 11 and charged with felony abuse of a vulnerable person. Officials accused Weis of causing injury to a resident while working as a certified nursing assistant at the Booneville Human Development Center.
- Shane Phillips, a 38-year-old Little Rock resident, was charged with felony Medicaid fraud on Sept. 17. Officials say he submitted claims totaling $88,104.96 for personal care and attendant care services during his client’s inpatient hospital stay and while Phillips was on the clock for other employers.
- Arkadelphia natives Gregory Clayborn, 33, Shamirrah Childs, 25, and Debbie Thomas, 61, were arrested on Sept. 17. Officials say Clayborn was charged with abuse of an adult while Childs and Thomas were charged with failure to report the abuse of an adult after Clayborn reportedly slapped a resident while working at the Arkadelphia Human Development Center.
- 33-year-old Beebe native Michael Bodine was arrested for felony Medicaid fraud on Sept. 18. Officials accuse him of filing 90 fraudulent claims to be billed for $4,725 by simultaneously billing two different Medicaid beneficiaries.
“Arkansas’s MFCU continues their exemplary work ensuring bad actors attempting to defraud Medicaid or abuse our vulnerable populations are held accountable,” Griffin said…