An alleged Medicaid scam that prosecutors say siphoned off more than $10.9 million for ghost home‑care visits has landed an Indianapolis man behind bars and left a Carmel woman on the run, according to charging documents.
Alexander Byrnes, 39, of Indianapolis, was arrested and booked into the Marion County Jail on July 21. A warrant is active for 26‑year‑old Faith Casas of Carmel. Both are accused of helping steer a torrent of bogus claims through Indiana’s Medicaid program for services that investigators say were never actually provided. The case is unfolding as state auditors and the Family and Social Services Administration ramp up a broader crackdown on attendant‑care billing across Indiana.
Prosecutors filed charges on July 20 alleging that Senior Home Care Agency, Inc. billed Indiana Medicaid for attendant care, transportation and other home‑ and community‑based services that were not delivered, according to WTHR. The complaint says Senior Home Care Agency, Inc., incorporated in May 2023, submitted improper claims for more than two years and names Byrnes and Casas as defendants. The filing lists dozens of felony counts, including one level‑6, 35 level‑5 and 16 level‑4 fraud counts, and notes Byrnes previously pleaded guilty in 2022 to felony theft, forgery and fraud on a financial institution.
Audits Put Attendant Care Spending Under A Microscope
The arrests follow a sweeping statewide audit that flagged roughly $198 million in extrapolated improper payments, according to a public release from Indiana FSSA. The agency said auditors reviewed claims from Jan. 1, 2022 through March 31, 2025, and that attendant‑care expenditures jumped by more than $150 million between 2021 and 2022, a spike highlighted in earlier reporting on the attendant care payout binge.
How Prosecutors Say The Billing Worked
Court documents allege Byrnes instructed employees to add caregiver shifts into the electronic‑visit‑verification system even when services were not provided, and that he “controlled nearly every aspect” of Senior Home Care’s operations, including payroll and the company bank account, according to WTHR. Prosecutors say the alleged fraud proceeds helped bankroll luxury purchases and travel, with court records listing designer goods, a $42,000 gold Rolex, yacht charters, international trips and hundreds of thousands of dollars in nightlife and hotel charges.
State Response And What Comes Next
FSSA officials say they will push to claw back improper payments and expand pre‑payment reviews, targeted audits and electronic‑visit‑verification checks as part of a broader effort to safeguard Medicaid dollars. “These audits reveal not just mistakes, but a wholesale abandonment of the rules that protect vulnerable Hoosiers,” FSSA Secretary Mitch Roob said in the agency release.
Prosecutors will pursue the criminal case in Marion County, and court dates along with details of any indictments or hearings are expected to be posted to public dockets as they are scheduled.
Anyone with information about the alleged scheme is asked to contact local law enforcement or the Marion County Prosecutor’s Office. The defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty in a court of law. This story will be updated as additional court filings or scheduling information becomes public.
