Abbeville mother and daughter among those arrested for medicaid fraud

Tavonjia Hills Scott, 44, and her daughter, Dominiqua Hills, 23, both of 1627 East Villien Street, Abbeville, were arrested today by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit for conspiring to defraud the Medicaid program.  Dominiqua Hills is charged with one count of felony Medicaid fraud for allegedly submitting
time sheets and service logs that indicated she was at home caring for her mother, a Medicaid recipient, when she was in fact working for her full-time employer in Lafayette.  Tavonjia Hills Scott, Hill’s mother, is accused of signing the falsified time sheets and service logs, and she is charged with one count of criminal conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud.

In a separate incident, Shantrell Talton, 42, of 8742 Gervais Street, New Orleans, was arrested Wednesday by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and charged with one count of felony Medicaid fraud after allegedly submitting time sheets and service logs that indicated she worked more hours than she actually did.  As a result of Talton’s actions, the personal care agency where she was employed billed $1,386.24 to the Medicaid Program for services not rendered. Talton was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

In another separate incident, Tiffany Y. Wilson, 42, of 2316 Chatsworth Road, Franklin, was arrested Tuesday by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and charged with one count of felony Medicaid fraud after allegedly submitting false time sheets and service logs to the two personal care agencies where she was employed. Wilson’s time sheets reportedly contained overlapping service hours which resulted in claims being submitted to the Medicaid program for services not rendered. As a result of her actions, the personal care agencies billed Medicaid for services not rendered and were paid $2,310.40 by the Medicaid Program. Wilson was booked into the East Baton Rouge Parish Prison.

Hills, Talton and Wilson were working as direct care service workers, hired by Medicaid providers to care for physically handicapped or elderly Medicaid recipients. Direct care service workers provide caregiver services such as cooking, grooming and bathing.

Each count of Medicaid fraud is punishable by up to five years in prison and up to $20,000 in fines.  Conspiracy to commit Medicaid fraud is punishable by up to two and a half years in prison and up to $10,000 in fines.