A Charlotte behavioral health services provider has been sentenced to over 11 years in prison after being convicted for a range of fraudulent activities including Medicaid fraud, COVID-19 relief scams, and money laundering. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of North Carolina, Dena J. King, announced that Ashley Nicole Cross, 42, was given 135 months in prison alongside a mandated three-year supervised release and restitutions amounting to $481,436.08, according to U.S. Attorney's Office for the Western District of North Carolina.
Cross, who owned and operated Odyssey Health Group (OHG) in Charlotte, engaged in fraudulent billing to South Carolina Medicaid for services not rendered from 2016 to 2021. In certain cases, she billed the health program for more than 19 hours of one-on-one counseling in a single day. When an investigation was launched, Cross was revealed to have used the personal identifying information of Medicaid beneficiaries to make fraudulent claims totaling over $1.2 million, "to carry out the scheme," as court documents outlined. Upon an FBI investigation, all of the interviewed 21 Medicaid beneficiaries affirmed that they did not receive mental health services from Cross or OHG.
FBI Special Agent in Charge of the Charlotte Division, Robert M. DeWitt, and Director of the South Carolina Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, Stephanie G. Opet, were involved in today's disclosure of the sentence. Court records highlighted that Cross's fraudulent practices were so deeply ingrained in OHG's operation that distinguishing between false and legitimate claims proved impossible for the investigators, according to the U.S. Attorney's Office.
The scheme extended to Cross applying for Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loans with fraudulent claims concerning her companies' employee numbers and payroll expenses, resulting in her receiving more than $287,000 in COVID-19 relief funds. Furthermore, Cross attempted to obstruct justice by contacting witnesses during her trial, suggesting they give false testimony on her behalf. These acts of direct witness tampering were considered by the court during the sentencing phase.
The investigation into Cross's crimes received substantial assistance from both the South Carolina Attorney General's Office and the Small Business Administration's Office of Inspector General. The prosecution of the case was led by Assistant U.S. Attorney Michael E. Savage and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney Kristina Fleisch. Cross is currently in federal custody awaiting transfer to a designated federal facility.
