PHOENIX — A Georgia man was sentenced to more than four years in prison after defrauding an Arizona Medicaid agency, officials said.
Kenneth Terrell Harrison, 45, will serve 52 months in prison followed by three years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Arizona.
In addition to the time served, Harrison was ordered to pay more than $6.5 million in restitution to Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS).
How did the man defraud the Arizona Medicaid agency?
Prosecutors said that Harrison admitted to owning Aurtism LLC, an outpatient behavioral health counseling service located in Mesa.
In 2019, Aurtism applied to be a medical provider for AHCCCS. However, when applying, Harrison confessed that he did not disclose that he was the primary owner of Aurtism because he was worried AHCCCS would deny the application due to his criminal history.
According to the U.S. Attorney’s Office, Harrison also targeted AHCCCS with fraudulent billing practice.
In January 2020, Harrison started obtaining AHCCCS enrollee identification numbers and billing them through Aurtism for AHCCCS services they never received. He acquired some of the numbers from residents who visited Aurtism and others fraudulently.
Prosecutors noted that almost all of the enrollees that Harrison billed were part of the American Indian Health Plan.
Between January 2020 and October 2021, Harrison fraudulently billed AHCCCS for more than $6.5 million.
Prosecutors said that at Harrison’s sentencing, the court noted the harm the fraud caused to vulnerable populations in Arizona.
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