FATHER AND SON AMONG FOUR ARRESTED IN MONTGOMERY COUNTY FOR TENNCARE FRAUD

NASHVILLE, TN – Four people have been arrested for TennCare fraud in Montgomery County – and a father and son are among those charged.

The Office of Inspector General today announced the arrest of Anthony Todd Albright, Jr., 18, accused of providing false information to a pharmacy that would allow him to pay for his father’s prescription with the son’s TennCare card. His 36-year old father, Anthony Todd Albright, Sr., is charged with taking possession of the medication that he was not entitled to. In addition, a friend of the father’s, Bruce Lamb, 35, is charged with providing the son’s personal information to the pharmacy in an attempt to obtain the medication, knowing that the father was not on TennCare.

Governor Phil Bredesen created the Office of Inspector General, one of the first units of its kind in the nation, in 2004. Since it became operational in February 2005, 223 people have been charged with TennCare fraud, leading to 56 convictions for TennCare fraud.

In an additional unrelated case in Montgomery County,Virginia Brungard, also known as Virginia Dunn, 54, of Clarksville was indicted on two counts of TennCare fraud and one count of theft of services over $10,000. She’s accused of providing false and misleading information by not revealing to the state that she is married and had access to private health insurance through her husband’s employer.

“Governor Bredesen has set forth a zero tolerance policy for TennCare fraud and abuse – and we intend to aggressively enforce it,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said.

District Attorney John Carney will prosecute the cases. If convicted, the Albrights and Bruce Lamb each face one to two years in prison. Brungard could face one to two years on each count of TennCare fraud and three to six years for theft of services.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tennessee.gov/tenncare and follow the prompts that read “Report Fraud Now.”