Fifteen people are behind bars after a statewide crackdown on Medicaid fraud that uncovered more than $237,000 in stolen taxpayer funds. Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro announced the felony charges on June 29, 2018, following a coordinated sweep across seven counties. The arrests, tied to 12 separate investigations, mark a major blow against those exploiting a system meant to care for the state’s poorest and most vulnerable.
The crimes spanned years and counties, but the pattern was consistent: falsified records, ghost services, and cold cash taken from Medicaid’s coffers. Among the accused is Darryl Payne of Williamsport, charged in Montgomery County for billing $100,139 in services he never rendered as a certified peer specialist. Peter Jarbo of Philadelphia is accused of billing for overlapping therapy hours across three child therapy agencies—raking in $37,933 for care that never happened.
In Bucks County, Kenya Miller allegedly kept billing for her deceased father’s care, submitting claims for 2,037 hours after he had died. Medicaid paid $39,606 before the fraud was caught. Sarah Sibel of Blue Bell, a mobile therapist, forged parent signatures and claimed to see adolescent patients on days she worked elsewhere—stealing $1,746. Lenor Grier of Long Pond billed $3,100 for face-to-face case management she skipped entirely, while Katherine Baldwin of New Holland inflated her hours as a case manager, pocketing $6,300.
A more elaborate scheme unfolded in Dauphin County, where Laura Dunn and Diane Espenshade were hit with conspiracy charges. The pair allegedly submitted fake claims stating Dunn provided services while Espenshade was hospitalized—proof of a coordinated effort to game the system. Federal and state investigators, working under the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Inspector General, confirmed the fraud through time records, employment logs, and death certificates.
“These defendants didn’t just break the law—they betrayed the trust of every Pennsylvanian who relies on Medicaid,” Attorney General Shapiro said. “We’re talking about care for children with serious conditions, adults with disabilities, people fighting to survive. This isn’t a victimless crime. It’s theft from the most vulnerable.”
The statewide initiative, part of a larger federal health-care fraud takedown, reflects growing scrutiny on Medicaid abuse. All 15 defendants face multiple felonies including Medicaid fraud, theft by deception, forgery, and tampering with public records. Prosecutors vow more arrests as audits and investigations continue into billing practices across Pennsylvania’s health-care network.
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Key Facts
- State: Pennsylvania
- Agency: Pennsylvania AG
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: Official Source ↗
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