Eight Medicaid Providers Indicted, Accused of Phantom Billing

(COLUMBUS, Ohio) — Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost continues to bust Medicaid providers who bill fraudulently, highlighted by recent indictments accusing seven people and one business of submitting claims for made-up services.

“If you sneak extra Medicaid dollars like Halloween candy, don’t be surprised when the consequences leave a bitter taste,” Yost said. “Save your tricks for trick-or-treat night.”

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, an arm of Yost’s office, investigated the cases and secured the indictments in Franklin County Common Pleas Court.

The cases include two people who billed for in-home services when clients were incarcerated, a home-health aide who engaged in a kickback scheme, and a provider who admitted to submitting false claims using her husband’s name.

Among those indicted:

• Daylene Curtis, 41, of Zanesville, is accused of billing for services when she was traveling or working another job and when a recipient did not live at the address listed on claims. She also admitted to submitting fraudulent timesheets using her husband’s name. Investigators calculated a $27,465 loss to the Ohio Medicaid program.
   
• Asia Drakeford, 30, of Columbus, allegedly submitted timesheets for home-health services while the recipient was on vacation, leading to a $1,593 loss for Medicaid. The client told investigators that Drakeford confronted her after the trip to demand that she sign the fraudulent timesheets.
   
• Carrie Francis, 46, of Dayton, was charged after investigators determined that she participated in a kickback scheme and received $2,613 that she was not owed.
   
• Cynthia Lange, 55, Middletown, was indicted on one count of Medicaid fraud. From May 2024 through April 2025, she allegedly billed for in-home services while recipients were receiving care from family members or participating in programming outside the home. Investigators calculated a $34,028 loss to Medicaid.
   
• Michael Makeba, 53, of Westerville, and his defunct business, Healthy Connections, were each indicted in a case involving a $17,727 loss to Medicaid. Healthy Connections paused its adult day care services in late 2022 for a planned relocation. Although it never resumed operations at the new address, the business allegedly continued to bill Medicaid for services.
   
• Andrea Turpin, 43, of Blacklick, allegedly billed for in-home services while the client was in jail, representing a $2,403 loss to Medicaid.
   
• Laquandra Williams, 37, of Cleveland, discontinued services for a client in May 2024 but allegedly continued to bill Medicaid for another month. An investigation also found that she billed for services when she was traveling in Florida or working a different job and when a client was incarcerated. One of her first statements to investigators was: “So, do you know when my court date is going to be?” In total, $14,580 was fraudulently billed to Medicaid.

Ohio’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, which operates within the Health Care Fraud Section, collaborates with federal, state and local partners to root out Medicaid fraud and protect vulnerable adults from harm. The unit investigates and prosecutes health-care providers who defraud the state Medicaid program and enforces the state’s Patient Abuse and Neglect Law.

Indictments are criminal allegations. Defendants are presumed innocent unless proved guilty in a court of law.

The Ohio Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $16,553,872 for federal fiscal year 2026. The remaining 25% – totaling $5,517,956 for FY 2026 – is funded by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Dominic Binkley: 614-728-4127

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