Sharon Romaine Ward, 53, received a sentence of 4 years imprisonment today for orchestrating a scheme that involved fraudulently billing federal healthcare programs, an act that cost millions in taxpayer dollars. According to the U.S. Attorney's Office for the Southern District of Ohio, Ward's company, Halo Home Healthcare, billed over $8.5 million for services that were never provided, impacting programs like Medicare, Medicaid, and Veterans Affairs health care from 2015 to 2021.
Ward strategically concealed her association with Halo after a prior felony conviction had excluded her from participating in federal healthcare programs. Reporting a manifold of troubling details, Halo overbilled services and employed more than 50 individuals whose criminal backgrounds should have barred them from providing health care services. Remarkably, one of these hires was later charged with a quadruple murder while under Halo's employ.
During her fraudulent operations, Ward submitted tens of thousands of claims to Medicaid, resulting in a substantial amount of money lost. She also admitted to causing the preparation and filing of false tax returns. In a plea agreement, Ward accepted responsibility for healthcare fraud and making false income tax returns in June 2024. As part of her sentence, she is ordered to pay an astronomical restitution to the Ohio Department of Medicaid and additional funds to the Department of Veterans Affairs, Veterans Healthcare Administration, and the IRS upon filing corrected business tax returns.
The Spanning investigation that culminated in Ward's sentencing was a collaborative effort that involved multiple agencies. The list comprised the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Secret Service, and more, was announced by Kelly A. Norris, the Acting U.S. Attorney for the District. Its Assistant U.S. Attorney Ebunoluwa A. Taiwo represented the United States in the case, bearing witness to the extensive governmental resources utilized to end the rampant defrauding of public funds.
