A mother and daughter from Parkville have been handed sentences for their involvement in a multi-million dollar fraud scheme targeting the Maryland Medicaid program. Tasha S. Saunders, 46, received a total of 10 years in prison for her part in the fraud, which amounted to over $3.6 million in illegal claims. Her daughter, Tamyra Jordan, 26, is facing five years of supervised probation and has been ordered to repay $232,900. The sentencing comes as a result of a complex and fraudulent operation that was conducted using two behavioral health companies owned by Saunders, as was detailed by Fox Baltimore.
According to a release from Maryland Attorney General Anthony G. Brown, stealing from the Medicaid system, the mother-daughter duo engaged in activities including "systematically forging signatures, composing fake patient records, and stealing the identities of licensed healthcare providers." Brown emphasized the egregiousness of their actions, particularly considering Saunders' prior conviction and status on probation, stating, "Stealing millions from Medicaid while on probation for identical fraud is a brazen insult to vulnerable Marylanders," as obtained by NottinghamMD. Saunders' prior offense resulted in a nine-month prison term and a hefty restitution order for similar fraudulent activities.
The scheme, which spanned nearly five years, saw Saunders' behavioral health companies, Guiding Lives Inc. and Another Chance Supportive Services LLC (ACSS), submit false claims for Psychiatric Rehabilitation Program (PRP) services—a program intended to aid individuals with severe mental health issues. During her involvement with the operations, Saunders was placed on the Health and Human Services-Office of Inspector General Exclusion List, supposedly barring her from working within federal healthcare programs.
Sentences for the mother and daughter were announced by the Maryland Attorney General's Office, making it clear that justice was being served to shield Maryland's healthcare system from further exploitation. A third co-defendant involved in the scheme, Robert Higgins, has pleaded guilty and is scheduled to be sentenced on January 13, 2026, according to Fox Baltimore.
