Latisha Harron, Medicaid Fraud, North Carolina 2020
Las Vegas Couple Indicted in $13 Million Medicaid Fraud Scheme
A federal grand jury in North Carolina has indicted a Las Vegas couple in a massive $13 million Medicaid fraud scheme. Latisha and Timothy Harron, both of Las Vegas, Nevada, were charged with numerous crimes, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud and wire fraud, health care fraud, wire fraud, false statements relating to health care matters, aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and conducting transactions in criminally derived property with fraud and money laundering.
The indictment alleges that Latisha Harron, 44, created and operated Agape Healthcare Systems, Inc., a Medicaid home health provider in Roanoke Rapids, North Carolina. To enroll Agape as a Medicaid provider, Latisha Harron fraudulently concealed her prior felony conviction for identity theft. The indictment also alleges that despite moving out of North Carolina to Maryland in 2012, Harron continued to bill NC Medicaid as though Agape was providing home health services to North Carolina recipients.
After moving to Las Vegas in 2017, Latisha Harron married Timothy Mark Harron, 50, a previously convicted felon who also concealed his felony conviction from NC Medicaid on enrollment documents. The couple allegedly worked together to expand the Agape fraud upon NC Medicaid, fraudulently billing the program for more than $10 million between 2017 and 2019.
The indictment alleges that the Harrons carried out the fraud by exploiting an eligibility tool that was designed to help Medicaid recipients access healthcare services.
“This case represents one of the most brazen and egregious cases of home health Medicaid fraud ever seen in this district,” said U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. “The indictment alleges a $13 million fraud that funded a gluttonous, social media-marketed lifestyle - one filled with private jets, penthouses, and luxury resorts. Most reprehensible is the fact that this crime is alleged to have been carried out on the backs of our most vulnerable: the poor, the deceased, the elderly, and the disabled.
U.S. Attorney Robert J. Higdon, Jr. added, “Even in the face of a global pandemic, this office will continue its work to ensure that defendants like these will be held to fully account for their actions.”
Latisha Harron and Timothy Harron were arrested in connection with the indictment. The charges carry significant penalties, including prison time and fines.
According to the indictment, Latisha Harron and Timothy Harron laundered the proceeds of the fraud into a private jet, luxury jewelry and clothing, and properties in Ahoskie and Rich Square, North Carolina.
The case is being investigated by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of North Carolina, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, and the Internal Revenue Service-Criminal Investigation.
Defendant: Latisha Harron, Timothy Mark Harron
Criminal Charges: Conspiracy to Commit Health Care Fraud and Wire Fraud, Health Care Fraud, Wire Fraud, False Statements Relating to Health Care Matters, Aggravated Identity Theft, Conspiracy to Commit Money Laundering, Conducting Transactions in Criminally Derived Property with Fraud and Money Laundering
City and State: Las Vegas, Nevada
Exact Date: May 19, 2020
Sentence or Outcome: Arrested, pending trial
Dollar Amounts: $13 million in Medicaid fraud, $10 million in fraudulent billing
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: Fraud & Financial Crimes
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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