OKLAHOMA CITY – Ashley Nicole Brown, 35, of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, the owner of unlicensed home health company, and a former employee of another home health company, pleaded guilty to embezzling her coworkers’ payroll funds and their health insurance subsidies.
Tulsa County District Judge Michelle Keely sentenced Brown to ten years, with seven years in prison and the following three years under the supervision of the Oklahoma Department of Corrections Probation and Parole. As a condition of her probation, Brown agreed to not own, manage, or work in the Oklahoma health care industry while on probation, and to pay restitution as well as all fines, fees, and assessments associated with her cases.
“This prosecution demonstrates the commitment of the Oklahoma Attorney General’s Office to combatting fraud in the Medicaid system,” said Attorney General O’Connor. “Our MFCU agents and attorneys investigate and prosecute individuals, like Ashley Brown, who take advantage of elderly and vulnerable Oklahomans.”
In Tulsa County case number CF-2020-3519, the Oklahoma Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) investigation discovered evidence of embezzlement of payroll money and State health insurance subsidies intended for Brown’s coworkers.
In Tulsa County case number CF-2022-1538, the MFCU investigation uncovered evidence that, even after being charged with the crimes in the earlier case, Brown proceeded to operate an unlicensed home health care company in Tulsa. Preying on an elderly Tulsa couple who hired Brown’s company to provide home health care, Brown used her position of trust to obtain their personal identification information and their bank account debit card numbers. Brown used the victims’ personal information and debit cards without their permission to pay off her personal debts, to pay her family members, and to pay her company.
The Oklahoma MFCU has statewide jurisdiction to investigate and prosecute abuse, neglect, drug diversion and financial exploitation of elderly and vulnerable adults. In this role, the MFCU serves as a safeguard against caretakers that abuse, neglect, or exploit vulnerable Oklahomans. The MFCU also investigates and prosecutes violations of state and federal laws pertaining to provider fraud in the administration of the Medicaid program. Additionally, the MFCU pursues and monitors Qui Tam or whistleblower litigation at the Oklahoma level and on a national level in conjunction with other states’ MFCUs and U.S. Attorneys offices. The MFCU can recover Medicaid funds by pursuing criminal sanctions, civil judgments, or administrative recoveries.
If you have any information about Medicaid provider fraud or patient abuse, please report it to the Office of the Oklahoma Attorney General Medicaid Fraud Control Unit by calling 1-405-522-2963 or complete a complaint form found in following link: https://www.oag.ok.gov/Medicaid-fraud-citizen-resources
The Oklahoma MFCU receives 75% percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $3,424,943.00 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2022. The remaining 25% percent, totaling $856,235.00 for FY 2022, is funded by the State of Oklahoma. The federal fiscal year is defined as October 1, 2021, through September 30, 2022.