Mississippi AG indicts 11 on $12.3 million Medicaid fraud
Attorney General Lynn Fitch, a Republican, announced Tuesday that 11 Mississippians have been indicted on charges alleging $12.3 million in Medicaid fraud, according to a statement from her office.
The people named in the indictments are: Isluv Robertson, 36, of Jackson; Shawncee Vassar-Cunningham, 51, of Olive Branch; Katricia Smith, 47, of Olive Branch; Sheila Boney Collins, 53, of Hollandale; Ahyana Nicole Crosby, 34, of Laurel; Angela Nannette Crosby, 51, of Laurel; Christopher Curtis Moore, 51, of Gulfport; Taylor Christian Rushing, 34, of Gautier; Yolanda Evette Blackman, 54, of Hattiesburg; Linda Jenkins, 46, of Hermanville; and Deja Almore, 30, of Yazoo City, the statement said.
The indictments are part of a nationwide effort that has identified roughly $6.5 billion in taxpayer losses in the Medicaid program, with more than 455 defendants in 45 states facing charges, Fitch’s office said. Some defendants nationwide include doctors, nurse practitioners and pharmacists, the statement said.
“These indictments are just the latest efforts we are taking to fight waste, fraud and corruption,” Fitch said in the statement. “I will remain laser focused on rooting out fraud, recovering money wrongfully stolen from hard working taxpayers, and holding fraudsters accountable.” She also said she is partnering with President Donald Trump to protect taxpayer dollars.
State Sen. Nicole Boyd, R., vice chair of the Mississippi Senate Medicaid Committee, told the Magnolia Tribune that public assistance programs must be protected. “Medicaid is a safety-net program for Mississippians who truly need care, not a source of profit for individuals willing to exploit vulnerable people and taxpayers,” Boyd said. The attorney general’s office said Fitch presented a five-point plan to the White House Task Force to Eliminate Fraud, led by Vice President J.D. Vance, in May, and encouraged reporting suspected fraud to the Mississippi Attorney General’s Office of Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
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