Eight people have been indicted in Ohio in connection with alleged Medicaid fraud and theft schemes that prosecutors say cost the government health-care program and vulnerable victims more than half a million dollars.
Indictments filed this month by the office of Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost accuse five Medicaid providers of stealing a combined $542,176 from Medicaid, while three additional defendants are charged in separate cases involving theft from nursing home residents and an elderly relative with dementia.
“Caregivers are meant to protect the vulnerable, not exploit them,” Yost said in a statement. “My office will never tolerate thieves who line their pockets at the expense of elderly, disabled and low-income Ohioans.”
The cases were investigated by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, part of Yost’s office, which secured the indictments in Franklin County.
Among the most significant cases is that of Ebony Jones, 23, of Akron, who is accused of causing a $412,219 loss to Medicaid. Investigators allege Jones billed for in-home care services while taking nine trips to Jamaica between 2022 and 2025. Authorities said further investigation found she also billed for daily services for two clients who told investigators they had not seen her in three years.
Darnicia Burge, 27, of Cleveland, is accused of forging timesheets and billing Medicaid for overlapping shifts while working two jobs, resulting in an alleged loss of $1,969. Investigators said they found 272 instances in which Burge billed for home-health services while clocked in at a separate care facility.
Kimberly Henry, 56, of Columbus, allegedly billed Medicaid $16,102 for in-home care services while her client was hospitalized for four months between October 2024 and February 2025.
Robert Lomas, 62, of Defiance, a licensed independent chemical dependency counselor, is charged with Medicaid fraud after investigators alleged he routinely billed for counseling sessions that never occurred, causing a loss of $106,620.
Tina Turner, 54, of Ironton, allegedly billed Medicaid $5,266 for services while traveling on Caribbean cruises in 2024 and 2025. According to investigators, Turner initially claimed the billing was justified because she routinely worked uncompensated hours, but later acknowledged that billing for services not provided constitutes fraud.
Separate indictments accuse two Columbus women of stealing from a resident of a long-term-care facility.
Astashiona McDonald, 26, and Diamond Tate, 27, face charges of forgery and theft from a person in a protected class in connection with the alleged theft of $3,500. Investigators said the case began after a resident reported nine missing checks, two of which had been cashed. Authorities allege the checks were written to McDonald, who was unknown to the victim, and that Tate, a facility aide and McDonald’s romantic partner, helped facilitate the theft.
In another case, Brian Otler, 43, of Columbus, is accused of stealing $35,335 from an elderly relative with dementia while the victim lived in a long-term-care facility. Prosecutors allege Otler accessed the relative’s bank accounts without permission to pay personal debts between December 2024 and March 2025.
Ohio’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit works with federal, state and local agencies to investigate fraud involving the Medicaid program and protect vulnerable adults from abuse and exploitation.
All defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
