Fayetteville Woman Sentenced to 33 Months for Medicaid Scam
A Fayetteville woman has been sentenced to 33 months in prison for her role in a Medicaid fraud conspiracy that attempted to obtain over $1.6 million in fraudulent reimbursement claims.
Tanisha Melvin, 36, was sentenced by Chief U.S. District Judge Frank D. Whitney on December 2015 for her involvement in the scheme, which was organized by Cynthia Harlan, the owner of Heartland Consulting and Marketing, Inc.
According to court records, Melvin was responsible for creating fake patient records for two companies that purported to provide outpatient mental and behavioral health services. The records included fabricated intake packets, non-existent mental health problems, and made-up treatment for the problems.
Melvin pleaded guilty in December 2015 to one count of health care fraud conspiracy. In addition to her prison sentence, she was also ordered to serve three years under court supervision and to pay $392,159.81 as restitution to Medicaid.
This is not the first time that members of the conspiracy have been sentenced to prison. The owners of United Rehabilitation Services, Alexander Bass and Torrey Darnell Moton, were previously sentenced to 32 and 25 months in prison, respectively, and were ordered to pay $370,372.37 as restitution to Medicaid. LaChanda Clotiel Parks, who was also responsible for generating some of the fake patient paperwork, was sentenced to 28 months in prison and was ordered to pay $352,565.69 in restitution for her role in the conspiracy.
In announcing the sentence, Judge Whitney noted that the crime involved scarce taxpayer funds that are to be used to assist those who are the most needy.
Related Federal Cases
- Ricky McMillian, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, North Carolina 2023 · North Carolina
- Brent Allan Dilonardo, Conspiracy to Commit Wire Fraud, North Carolina 2016 · North Carolina
- Robert Warren, Crop Insurance Fraud, North Carolina 2003 · North Carolina
- Christopher Bryan Roach, Bank Fraud and Identity Theft, North Carolina 2017 · North Carolina
- Tony McElveen, Bank Fraud and Aggravated Identity Theft, North Carolina 2023 · North Carolina
Key Facts
- State: North Carolina
- Category: White Collar Crime
- Source: DOJ Press Release â†â€â€
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