Four central Ohio residents are among nine people indicted on state Medicaid fraud and theft charges, including a Columbus caregiver facing an involuntary manslaughter charge in the death of a child.
Eight of the nine defendants indicted in Franklin County Common Pleas Court stand accused of defrauding the Medicaid health care program out of $181,512, Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost’s office announced April 17 in a news release. The ninth person is accused of stealing a patient’s debit card to buy items from Walmart, then filed a false report saying she lost the debit card, Yost said.
Four central Ohioans facing charges are accused of causing a total loss of $99,051, according to numbers Yost’s office provided.
Alice Toole, 60, of Reynoldsburg, faces theft and Medicaid fraud charges after a investigators alleged overbilling totaling $28,818, Yost’s office reported. Investigators allege they found evidence of falsified timesheets, unauthorized visits and overlapping services to multiple clients.
Much of the billing by Toole in question relates to a 15-year-old client who died in August after authorities alleged Toole left the child unattended for several hours and the client died of dehydration.
A Franklin County grand jury indicted Toole in March on charges of involuntary manslaughter, patient endangerment and endangering children in connection with her client’s death.
The other three people indicted from central Ohio are:
According to Yost, the defendants accused of Medicaid fraud billed for in-home services while clients were either hospitalized or traveling. Yost alleged that one of the defendants, who worked as a home health aide, admitted to sleeping during shifts, while another provider sent unauthorized individuals to care for clients in her place.
“Whether fraud is a trickle or a flood, our mission remains the same: Protect Medicaid dollars and hold thieves accountable,” Yost said in the media release announcing the indictments. “Our investigative team stands guard to ensure that every provider plays by the rules.”
The cases were investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, a department within the Ohio Attorney General’s Office that conducts Medicaid fraud investigations throughout the state.
Reporter Shahid Meighan can be reached at smeighan@dispatch.com, ShahidMeighan on X and shahidthereporter.dispatch.com on Bluesky.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Four area women among 9 Ohioans indicted on Medicaid fraud, theft charges
Reporting by Shahid Meighan, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
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