Shelby, Weakley Co. Residents Charged with TennCare Fraud

Tuesday, September 13, 2016 | 01:50pm

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – Four people in Shelby and Weakley County are charged with felony counts of TennCare fraud.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrests, which are all unrelated:

  • Marquita Kellom, 40, of Memphis, charged with two counts of fraudulently obtaining controlled substances by doctor shopping, or using TennCare to visit multiple doctors in a short time period to obtain drugs; in this case, the painkiller Tramadol. Kellom is also charged with theft of property.
  • Donna Newsom, 38, of Dresden, charged with three counts of TennCare fraud. Charges say on three separate occasions, Newsom altered legitimate prescriptions issued to her minor child to obtain Adderall, a stimulant, using her child’s TennCare benefits to pay for the altered prescriptions.
  • Donna Williams, 54, of Dresden, charged with one count of TennCare fraud in connection with using TennCare benefits to obtain Hydrocodone and later selling a portion of the drugs.
  • Jessica Jett, 37, of Martin, charged with one count of TennCare fraud and two counts of theft of services. Charges say she fraudulently reported her minor child as a dependent in order to qualify for TennCare benefits.

“We could not be successful without the help of local law enforcement officers in identifying these cases, and helping us build evidence or assisting in making the arrests,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “We hope everyone, including local providers and citizens, will ask for our assistance or let us know when they suspect TennCare fraud.”

District Attorney General Amy T. Weirich is prosecuting the Shelby County case, and District Attorney General Thomas A. Thomas will prosecute all three Weakley County cases. 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, 2,720 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.”