Community Corner

Pair Allegedly Took Advantage of Cobb Children for Medicaid Fraud

The two people allegedly discovered the Medicaid numbers of children and used the numbers to receive fraudulent Medicaid payouts.

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A grand jury in Cobb County has charged two people with Medicaid fraud, identity fraud, and conspiracy to defraud the state for a scheme which allegedly stole the Medicaid numbers of local children and used them to receive hundreds of thousands of dollars of bogus billing payments from the state.

Matthew David Harrell owned Revive Athletics, Inc. in Henry County, and Andrea Lillie Barrett was the owner of Lillie Cares Health Services, LLC in Glynn and Chatham counties. Both defendants’ companies were enrolled as service providers for Georgians on Medicaid.

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According to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office, Harrell used after school programs and community meetings in Cobb County to earn the trust of parents whose children were on Medicaid. Harrell abused this trust by illegally obtaining the children’s Medicaid numbers from the parents.

Harrell allegedly shared the numbers with Barrett, and both defendants allegedly used the numbers to submit bogus Medicaid billings on behalf of the companies they owned. The defendants allegedly received $977,677.53 in Medicaid payouts for services that never occurred.

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No trial date has yet been set for Harrell and Barrett.

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