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Read comments (8)The Office of Inspector General (OIG) said Deborah Ann Jewell, 51, of Shelbyville, pleaded guilty to one count of TennCare fraud and was ordered to repay TennCare $4,686.
Jewell was prosecuted by 17th Judicial District Attorney General Chuck Crawford and was stripped of Medicaid benefits for committing TennCare fraud.
Lola Potter, spokeswoman for Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner, said Jewell was also ordered to complete an in-patient alcohol treatment program and placed on probation for 15 months.
She also pleaded guilty to one count of theft of services and for that charge was placed on probation for two years and nine months, Potter reported. The sentences are to be served consecutively for an effective four-year sentence.
Jewell was arrested in November for fraudulently reporting to the state that her three minor children were living with her in order to qualify for TennCare, Potter said. Investigators discovered the children were living with their father at a separate residence.
In a news release, Faulkner said such "cases represent the constant effort we are making to win the war against TennCare fraud, particularly involving prescription drugs. People who do this can face jail time, making restitution and supervised probation, along with rehabilitation and court costs."
OIG, a law enforcement agency separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005. Potter said the agency's latest figures show it has investigated cases leading to the arrest of 657 individuals for TennCare fraud, with over $700,000 paid in restitution to TennCare, and total estimated cost avoidance in TennCare of over $75 million.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. The program may be reached at (800) 433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or go to www.tncarefraud.tennessee.gov and follow the links that read "Report TennCare Fraud."
"Well if you read the story, you will see that she will have to serve one year and 3 months.
-- Posted by bunchabull on Thu, Apr 17, 2008, at 11:11 AM "
Well, bunchabull,(appropriate nic, I must say) I read the story, and read it a second time just in case I missed something, but I can find nowhere in it that says she has to actually serve the first day in jail. I did see where it said she was placed on probation,(means no jail time) for fifteen months, and ordered to undergo in-patient,(that means she stays in a hospital, not a jail) alcohol abuse treatment. To me, this was a violent crime. She robbed every tax-paying citizen of this entire state and those of the entire United States! I have never seen a mugger that came anywhere close to having that many victims! I say, toss her in the workhouse for those four years,(that should teach her how to actually work) then expel her from the state for life! If she should ever return to this state to take up residence, she is to be arrested immediately, do thirty more days, be fined an amount equal to the cost of her entire incarceration,(all four years, one month of it) and sent packing again.
This is not surprising to most. We have alot of leaches living of the fat of American WORKERS. And dont dare try to turn them in. You are then known as a trouble maker or out for revenge. I know of one such leach, offered to sell me her food stamps she gets for 3 kids that she does'nt even have living with her! Thats our government around here!
Actually, she was sentenced to an effective 4 year sentence to be served on the Community Corrections program. She will have to be on house arrest for 90 days, and then will be extremely closely supervised. Community Corrections is no walk in the park. If she does just one thing wrong it's off to the pen she goes. Keep a close eye on this story...my guess is she'll be in the penitentiary before Christmas.
i agree bunchabull, you people can be summed in one word...ignorant.
Im shocked this is newsworthy. I assumed people were arrested in this county all the time for tenncare fraud. I mean its like an epidemic, and one woman got arrested.
SHE DOSENOT HAVE TO DO A DAY BEHIND BARS ITS ALL PROBATION
What a LOSER! I hope she gets more than just paying back the money. What about the old saying, "do the crime, pay the time"...
-- Posted by jkb on Thu, Apr 17, 2008, at 9:36 AM
Well if you read the story, you will see that she will have to serve one year and 3 months. I'snt that just great! A non violent offender will be locked up and we as the taxpayer can pay for her incarceration. Meanwhile, to make room for her, a violent offender will probably be cut loose to return to the streets. You should be so happy and celebrate jkb.
What a LOSER! I hope she gets more than just paying back the money. What about the old saying, "do the crime, pay the time"...