The Arizona Attorney General's Office has brought the case involving Ariell Olivia Dix, a white-collar crime offender, to a close with the court ordering her to pay millions in restitution. Dix, who was entangled in defrauding Arizonian Medicaid programs, has been mandated to return a hefty sum of $3,863,036.15, as per the Arizona Attorney General's Office.
Having already received a prison sentence of 3.5 years earlier in May, this financial reckoning comes as an additional penalty. Attorney General Kris Mayes stated, "Medicaid fraud steals from taxpayers and harms those who rely on critical health care services." In a press release available on the Arizona Attorney General's website, Mayes emphasized the government's stance on white-collar crimes, especially those exploiting public programs and vulnerable communities.
The criminal saga began when Dix, permanently barred from Nevada's State Medicaid Program for similar offenses, moved to Phoenix to set up Behavioral Health Care Treatment facilities. There, she engaged in illicitly billing the American Indian Health Program by padding treatment hours and dates, according to the Arizona Attorney General's website. Running from 2019 to 2022, her deeds cost the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) millions, defrauding tax-payers money intended for healthcare needs.
