Knox Co. Woman Served in Jail for 4th TennCare Fraud Charge

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Knox County woman is charged with doctor shopping for drugs, using the state’s Medicaid program as payment.  The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of 47-year old Nancy Elaine Horsley.  She is the fourth person in the history of the OIG to be charged four times with doctor shopping for drugs.

Horsley’s latest indictment out of White County charges her with doctor shopping and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud, in connection with visiting several physicians in a short period of time to obtain controlled substances. 

Her previous arrests all came out of Knox County, and after her second arrest, she was taken into custody for a probation violation.  She was served with the three subsequent indictments while being held in the Knox County Jail.  

In September of this year, she was charged with three counts of doctor shopping and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud.  In April, she was accused of eleven counts of doctor shopping.  All of those cases are still pending.

Horsley’s first arrest, for six counts of doctor shopping, occurred in December of 2011.  She later pleaded guilty to the charges, and was sentenced to two years of supervised probation and ordered to pay $2,111.24 restitution. 

"We are committed to protecting TennCare for people who are truly in need of healthcare benefits, and are eligible for the program,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. "We will not tire of criminally prosecuting people for every charge we build evidence to prosecute.”

TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years per charge in prison. District Attorney General Charme Allen will be prosecuting.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $5 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $176 million for TennCare, according to latest figures.  To date, 2,216 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions.  Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig/ and follow the prompts that read "Report TennCare Fraud."