Attorney General Kris Mayes laid down the law yesterday against Medicaid fraud, securing the first prison sentence in a scandal that’s rocked Arizona. Ariell Dix, the 37-year-old fraudster, got slammed with a three-and-a-half-year sentence for running a scheme that robbed Arizona taxpayers and exploited the vulnerable, the AG's office announced. According to the Attorney General's Office, Dix pleaded guilty to two felony charges for her part in this con.
“This conviction and sentencing are a major step in our fight against sober living home fraud,” declared Mayes in a statement that sent a clear message to any would-be swindlers. Dix, orchestrating the fraud from January 2019 to September 2021, helped set up bogus clinics and falsified records to siphon millions from the state’s Medicaid funds. She was the person solely responsible for obtaining patient lists to bill AHCCCS fraudulently, ensuring the coffers kept filling for the fraudulent enterprise she was key in.
Dix's role in the elaborate fraud involved establishing phony health clinics and generating fake patient records, ultimately bilking the state’s Medicaid system, known as AHCCCS, for tens of millions. The case was prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Brett Harames and spearheaded on the investigative front by Assistant Chief Special Agent Daniel Miller.
In a show of force against the rampant healthcare fraud plaguing the system, AG Mayes and her team have put a lid on at least one source of the bleeding. Addressing the perpetrators, Mayes promised, “criminals who defraud Arizona taxpayers and prey on vulnerable communities will be investigated and aggressively prosecuted by my office.” The state’s top lawyer took pride in the work accomplished by their team, ensuring that justice wasn't just a concept, but a very real consequence for those who think they could dupe the system.
