Medicaid Fraud Charges in Ohio

In Ohio, the state’s law enforcement is taking significant steps to protect individuals on Medicaid and those residing in nursing homes. Recently, Attorney General Dave Yost reported the charging of five individuals for Medicaid fraud, along with three others involved in theft from nursing home residents.

Included among the suspects are two individuals from northeastern Ohio. According to Yost’s office, the total sum lost due to Medicaid fraud tops $542,176.

Here’s a closer look at the cases:

• Danicia Burge, a 27-year-old from Cleveland, is accused of manipulating timesheets and receiving double payments for overlapping shifts at two jobs, leading to a $1,969 loss for Medicaid. Investigators found 272 occasions where she billed for home health services while being recorded as present at another job in a nursing home.
• Kimberly Henry, 56, from Columbus, allegedly billed clients for in-home services while they were hospitalized for four months, resulting in losses of $16,102 from October 2024 to February 2025.
• Ebony Jones, 23, from Akron, faces charges after being linked to $412,219 in Medicaid losses. She reportedly charged for in-home services during nine trips to Jamaica between 2022 and 2025. Further checks revealed she billed two clients whom she hadn’t seen in three years for daily services.
• Robert Lomas, 62, from Defiance, is connected to Medicaid fraud as a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor. Investigative findings indicated he consistently billed for counseling sessions that didn’t occur, resulting in a cost of $106,620 to Medicaid.
• Astaciona MacDonald, 26, and Diamond Tate, 27, both from Columbus, are charged with forgery and theft after they reportedly stole $3,500 from a resident of a long-term care facility. The investigation began following a report of nine missing checks, two of which were cashed at a McDonald’s that the victim had never visited. Tate, an employee at the facility, allegedly collaborated with MacDonald on this theft.
• Brian Otler, 43, of Columbus, faces charges of theft and credit card misuse after allegedly stealing $35,335 from a dementia-stricken relative between December 2024 and March 2025. Evidence revealed he accessed the relative’s bank account without consent while they were residing in a care facility.
• Tina Turner, 54, from Ironton, is accused of billing for services during Caribbean cruises in 2024 and 2025, costing Medicaid $5,266. When questioned, she claimed legitimacy for the charges due to unpaid work hours, although clients disputed this. Ultimately, she confessed that the services billed were fraudulent.