WASHINGTON, D.C. – Attorney General Karl A. Racine today announced that the Office of the Attorney General (OAG) has filed lawsuits against three personal care aides alleging that they cheated the District’s Medicaid program out of more than $85,000 by filing false timesheets. In the complaints, OAG alleges the aides illegally billed Medicaid for patient services they never performed. The lawsuits seek more than $350,000 in damages and penalties as well as costs for the District in pursuing the case.

“These aides not only cheated taxpayers by lying on their billing records but stole valuable funds from Medicaid patients who need services the most,” said Attorney General Racine. “Today’s action sends a message that anyone attempting to cheat our taxpayers, seniors, and vulnerable residents will be held accountable.”

The District’s Medicaid program reimburses personal care services that aides provide to Medicaid beneficiaries when the beneficiaries are disabled or have conditions that render them homebound. The services are designed to enable individuals to remain in a home setting and avoid long-term in-patient stays in hospitals and nursing homes. In the District, these aides typically work for home health care agencies that are enrolled in the District’s Medicaid program. The aides submit timesheets to the agencies, and the agencies bill the Medicaid program for services on the aides’ behalf.

Under the District’s False Claims Act, OAG can recover triple damages plus civil penalties if the District proves its allegations. These suits were filed against three aides: Beatrice Ashaolu, Morufu Adeniran, and Dolapo B. Akinneye.

Ms. Beatrice Ashaolu
OAG’s suit against Beatrice Ashaolu claims that she billed for more than $35,000 worth of bogus care. The allegations include:

• Overlapping hours: Ashaolu billed for 1748 hours over 122 days, which works out to an average of more than 14 hours per day. In this period she claimed to have served two different patients -- sometimes during the same times, on the same day. She submitted the timesheets for each patient through different agencies.
• Billing while on international travel: Ashaolu billed for more than $3,300 in care for a patient in the District while she was on a monthlong trip abroad from December 2015 to January 2016.

A copy of OAG’s complaint against Ashaolu is available at: http://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/Ashalou_Complaint.pdf

Mr. Morufu Adeniran
OAG’s suit against Morufu Adeniran alleges that he falsely billed for more than $43,000 worth of care. The allegations include:

• Overlapping hours: Among other incidents, Adeniran submitted timesheets for three different beneficiaries, to a separate agency for each beneficiary, claiming that he provided services on a particular day. Taken together, the services for which he billed totaled 31 or 32 hours each day on 24 separate days.
• Billing two agencies for the same client: He submitted timesheets for overlapping hours of care for the same client to two different agencies.
• Billing while on international travel: Adeniran billed for more than $3,700 in care for a patient in the District while he was on a monthlong trip abroad in early 2014.

A copy of OAG’s complaint against Adeniran is available at: http://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/Adeniran_Complaint.pdf

Ms. Dolapo B. Akinneye
OAG’s suit against Dolapo B. Akinneye alleges that she falsely billed the District for more than $6,500 worth of care. The allegations include:

• Overlapping hours: Among other incidents, Akinneye submitted timesheets claiming that she provided overlapping hours of services to three beneficiaries, totaling 21 hours each day, on seven separate days.
• Billing while on international travel: Akinneye billed for 64 hours of care for a patient in the District while she was on a trip abroad in February of 2014.

A copy of OAG’s complaint against Akinneye is available at: http://oag.dc.gov/sites/default/files/2018-10/Akkineye_Complaint.pdf

To Report Medicaid Fraud in the District
Individuals or health care company employees who suspect fraud against the District’s Medicaid program can make an anonymous report to www.dhcf.dc.gov/page/reporting-fraud-waste-and-abuse-01 or by calling (877) 632-2873.