Attorney General Ford Announces Sentencing of Former Medicaid Provider


April 5, 2022

Las Vegas, NV – Today,Nevada Attorney General Aaron D. Ford announced that Jessica Celeste Brown, 33, of Las Vegas, was sentenced today in a Medicaid fraud case involving submitting false claims and failing to maintain adequate records to substantiate claims submitted to Nevada Medicaid. The fraud occurred between October 2017 and February 2018.

District Court Judge Eric Johnson sentenced Brown to 18-48 months in prison, suspended, and placed her on probation. Brown was also ordered to pay more than $150,000 in restitution, penalties and costs, and is prohibited from employment or other engagement with any Medicaid-contracted companies. Individuals or businesses convicted of Medicaid fraud may also be administratively excluded from future Medicaid and Medicare participation.

“My office is committed to protecting the integrity of the Medicaid system by investigating and prosecuting fraudulent Medicaid providers,” said AG Ford. “The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit diligently works to hold those who defraud our health care system accountable, thereby ensuring preservation of important resources for the Nevadans who need them.”

The investigation of this case began after the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) received information that Brown and her co-defendant, Shonna Nicole Marshall, were submitting false claims for services that were never actually provided to Medicaid recipients. The investigation revealed that Brown and Marshall created a ghost company for the sole purpose of fleecing as much money as possible as quickly as possible. In February, Marshall was sentenced in another case for committing 27 felony counts of Medicaid Fraud and Money Laundering using a similar scheme where she formed a ghost company solely to fraudulently bill Medicaid. Marshall is currently imprisoned for her repeated efforts to defraud Nevada Medicaid.

The MFCU investigates and prosecutes financial fraud by those providing healthcare services or goods to Medicaid patients. The MFCU also investigates and prosecutes instances of elder abuse or neglect. The Nevada MFCU receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award. The remaining 25% is funded by the State of Nevada, MFCU. Anyone wishing to report suspicions regarding any of these concerns may contact the MFCU at 702-486-3420 or 775-684-1100.

This case was investigated by the Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and was prosecuted by Senior Deputy Attorney General Behnaz Salimian Molina.

To file a complaint with the Office of the Nevada Attorney General, click here.

The criminal information is attached. 

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