COLUMBUS, Ohio — Authorities have indicted nine Ohio Medicaid providers, including several from Greater Cleveland, on charges such as fraud and theft after accusing them of taking more than $181,000 from the government health care program, Attorney General Dave Yost announced Friday.
Investigators from the Ohio Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit led the cases, which were filed in Franklin County. Officials said the providers billed for services they never performed, falsified records, and in one instance, stole directly from a client.
Authorities said several of the defendants billed Medicaid for in-home care even while their clients were hospitalized, out of town, or otherwise not receiving any services. Other accusations include submitting falsified timesheets, claiming overlapping services for multiple clients, and allowing unauthorized individuals to provide care.
“Whether fraud is a trickle or a flood, our mission remains the same: Protect Medicaid dollars and hold thieves accountable,” Yost said in a release. “Our investigative team stands guard to ensure that every provider plays by the rules.”
Here is a rundown of the indictments by Yost’s office:
- Molham Abdulhadi, 39, of West Chester, is accused of submitting falsified timesheets claiming he provided services while a client was traveling abroad in 2023 and 2024. The loss to Medicaid totaled $7,836.
- Jazzmyne Battles, 29, of Cleveland, allegedly billed for services that she did not provide, resulting in a $2,411 loss for Medicaid between November 2024 and February 2025. A client reported that Battles personally provided care on only a few occasions, often sending unauthorized individuals to work in her place. In some instances, no caregivers arrived, forcing the client to rely on family and friends for assistance.
- Hannah Browning, 23, of Ashville, drew investigators’ attention after a client’s relative reported discrepancies in her timesheets. Investigators identified billing for services she allegedly did not provide, as well as overlapping services to multiple clients. The loss to Medicaid from August 2023 to January 2025 totaled $10,086.
- Aletta Cephus, 48, of Akron, allegedly falsified timesheets, leading to a $6,530 loss for Medicaid. During an interview with investigators, she admitted to billing for services while sleeping during shifts for a relative, claiming she was exhausted from working late for other employers. She also confessed to leaving early to make it to her next shifts on time.
- Antonia Geiter, 32, of Mentor, was charged after investigators calculated a $63,941 loss for Medicaid. Video evidence revealed that Geiter rarely visited her client, yet she continued to bill for services – including periods when she was traveling or the client was hospitalized. Records also show that she billed 16-hour workdays, despite being approved for a maximum of 10 hours per day.
- Karen Hampston-McCants, 61, of Columbus, faces charges of theft from a person in a protected class and falsification. While working as a resident manager at I Am Boundless – a nonprofit supporting people with intellectual and developmental disabilities – she allegedly gave a resident’s debit card to an acquaintance, who then made $400 in unauthorized purchases. She also is accused of lying on an incident report by claiming she misplaced the card while shopping for the resident at Walmart.
- Khalilah Larue, 42, formerly of Columbus, was charged after investigators determined that she received $59,747 in improper Medicaid payments from January 2020 through September 2025. Larue allegedly continued billing Medicaid long after she stopped providing services to clients and billed for weekends she did not work. Interviews with multiple clients revealed that many of Larue’s treatment notes were allegedly falsified.
- Kisha Luke, 36, of Cleveland, allegedly billed for in-home services while a client was hospitalized, leading to a $2,143 loss for Medicaid between January and August 2025. Luke initially told investigators that she documented services at the end of each shift but later admitted that she sometimes submitted timesheets up to two weeks in advance.
- Alice Toole, 60, of Reynoldsburg, faces theft and Medicaid fraud charges after an investigation revealed overbilling totaling $28,818. Investigators found evidence of falsified timesheets, unauthorized visits and overlapping services to multiple clients. Much of the billing in question relates to a 15-year-old client who died in August 2025 after Toole allegedly left the child unattended for several hours. In March, the Franklin County Prosecutor’s Office indicted Toole on charges of involuntary manslaughter, patient endangerment and endangering children.
The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit partners with federal, state, and local agencies to investigate health care providers suspected of defrauding the Medicaid program and to enforce Ohio laws that protect patients from abuse and neglect.
Friday’s announcement marks the ninth major round of indictments secured by the Medicaid Fraud Control Unit since the summer of 2025. Just last month, Yost announced that ten providers were accused of stealing a combined $578,000 from the state’s Medicaid program.
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