Henderson Co. Man Charged 2nd Time with TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Henderson County man is charged for the second time with TennCare fraud involving prescription drugs.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of John D. Maness, 50, of Sardis. A Decatur County indictment charges him with fraudulently obtaining a controlled substance by doctor shopping, or going to several providers in a short time period to obtain prescriptions for the painkiller Hydrocodone, and using TennCare as payment. Maness was being held in the Henderson County Jail on unrelated charges and was transferred on release to the Decatur County Jail to be served.

Maness was arrested just last month on an indictment in Henderson County, charging him with three counts of doctor shopping for the painkillers Hydrocodone and Oxycodone, using TennCare to pay for either the clinical visits and/or the prescriptions.

“Eliminating the abuse of TennCare benefits, especially to obtain pain medications, is one of our main priorities,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “Local police, providers and the healthcare community are with us in our effort to weed out this problem within the TennCare program.”

District Attorney General Matthew F. Stowe is prosecuting.  As of July 1, 2016, TennCare fraud was changed to a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,758 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”