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.
###