Eight Ohio suspects accused in Medicaid fraud include $100,000 in losses

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WCMH) — The Ohio Attorney General’s Office has secured seven indictments throughout the state against insurance agents, including several from central Ohio, who are accused of fraud.

According to a news release, seven people and one business are alleged to have submitted false claims with respect to made-up services. The cases include two people who billed for in-home services when clients were in jail, a home-health aide who engaged in a kickback scheme and a provider who admitted to submitting a claim in her husband’s name.

Among those indicted are four from the central Ohio area.

• Asia Drakeford, 30, of Columbus, is accused of submitting timesheets for home-healthcare services while the recipient was on vacation, resulting in a $1,593 loss for Medicaid. The victim told investigators that Drakeford confronted her after her trip and demanded she sign fraudulent timesheets.
• Michael Makeba, 53, of Westerville, and his now defunct business, Healthy Connections, were each indicted in a case involving $17,727 loss to Medicaid. It is alleged that Healthy Connections paused its adult day care services in 2022 due to a planned relocation but reportedly continued to bill Medicaid for services, despite not having resumed operations at its new location.
• Andrea Turpin, 43, of Blacklick, billed for in-home-services while a client was in jail, the Attorney General’s Office said. Medicaid reported a loss of $2,403.
• Daylene Curtis, 41, of Zanesville, reportedly billed for services while she was traveling or working another job, and while a recipient did not live at the address listed on the claims report. Curtis also allegedly submitted fraudulent timesheets using her husband’s name, resulting in a total loss of $27,465 to the Ohio Medicaid program.

Additionally, three other suspects, Carri Francis, 46, of Dayton, Cynthia Lange, 55, of Middletown, and Laquandra Williams, 37, of Cleveland, were indicted on fraud charges totaling over $51,000 in losses.

The Medicaid Fraud Unit investigated all cases and secured the indictments through the Franklin County Court of Common Pleas. Charges for all suspects include Medicaid fraud, and/or theft.