An Akron home-health worker is facing serious trouble after state investigators say she billed Medicaid for in-home care while she was actually traveling to Jamaica, a scheme prosecutors say drained roughly $412,219 from the program. The case is part of a wider Franklin County investigation that names five Medicaid providers and three people accused of stealing from nursing-home residents. Authorities say the alleged bogus billing dates back to 2022 and includes repeated claims for daily care that clients say never happened.
Indictments announced by the attorney general
Ohio Attorney General Dave Yost on Wednesday announced a new batch of indictments from his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Franklin County. According to Ohio Attorney General's Office, the five Medicaid providers named in the filings are accused of causing a combined $542,176 loss to the program. "Caregivers are meant to protect the vulnerable, not exploit them," Yost said in the office's news release.
How investigators say Jones billed
Investigators allege 23-year-old Ebony Jones of Akron billed Medicaid for in-home visits during nine trips to Jamaica between 2022 and 2025, and also billed daily services for two clients who told investigators they had not seen her in about three years, per reporting by WOIO/Cleveland 19. The station reports that the alleged misconduct surfaced when the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit compared billing records with travel and employment data, a paper trail that did not exactly match the care being claimed.
Other defendants named in the sweep
The attorney general's release also names several other defendants. They include Robert Lomas of Defiance, who is accused of billing $106,620 for counseling that investigators say never occurred, and Kimberly Henry of Columbus, accused of billing $16,102 while a client was hospitalized. The filings further allege a Cleveland home-health aide falsified timesheets and double-billed 272 overlapping shifts, and three people face charges tied to theft from nursing-home residents. These cases were returned to Franklin County Common Pleas Court as indictments, according to Ohio Attorney General's Office.
Wider enforcement push
Prosecutors say the latest indictments are part of a steady enforcement push against phantom billing and abuse of home-care programs across Ohio. Recent Franklin County cases, including a Medicaid crew nailed in an alleged $181,000 scheme, along with state releases, show a pattern of aggressive follow-up on suspect providers. State officials have been public about leaning on data matches and audits to flag billing that does not square with reality.
Legal next steps
The indictments are criminal allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty. They now face arraignments and pretrial hearings in Franklin County, WOIO/Cleveland 19 reports. The station also notes that investigators leaned on billing records, travel data and client interviews to calculate the losses attributed to each defendant.
State officials say the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit will keep digging and are urging anyone with information about questionable billing to contact the agency. For families who depend on home-care services, prosecutors say the cases are a pointed reminder that oversight and reporting suspected abuse are key parts of keeping vulnerable patients safe.
