A Georgia man, Kenneth Terrell Harrison, 45, of College Park, has been sentenced to 52 months in federal prison after pleading guilty to defrauding Arizona's Medicaid agency, AHCCCS, out of over $6.5 million. The news, reported by the U.S. Attorney's Office, comes after Harrison's Monday sentencing by United States District Judge Michael T. Liburdi. Following his jail term, Harrison will be subject to three years of supervised release and has also been ordered to pay restitution in the exact amount of $6,538,485.09.
Harrison's company, Aurtism, LLC, based in Mesa, Arizona, is reportedly to have begun targeting AHCCCS by using the identification numbers of enrollees to bill for services never rendered. This fraudulent activity started in January 2020 and continued until October 2021. The vast majority of those whose identities were used in the scheme belonged to the American Indian Health Plan. In the pursuit to conceal his past, Harrison had not disclosed his ownership in the company to AHCCCS, out of concern that his criminal record would thwart the application process.
The press release from the U.S. Attorney's Office highlighted the court's remarks on the "particular harm done to vulnerable populations in Arizona" due to Harrison's actions. The investigation was a collaborative effort of the FBI's Phoenix Division and the IRS Criminal Investigation's Phoenix Field Office, with Assistant U.S. Attorney Aron Ketchel leading the prosecution.
Harrison, before his downfall, successfully managed to falsely bill the state's health care system for millions by preying on the AHCCCS program that serves to provide necessary medicinal services to low-income individuals in Arizona. The significant sum stolen represents not just a theft from public coffers but an insidious breach of trust towards those most in need of protection and aid from such public health systems. As restitution, Harrison is compelled to account for the full financial weight of his fraudulent scheme, thereby attempting to somewhat right the fiscal imbalance his deception had created.
