from tn.gov
A Sumner County woman is charged with TennCare fraud in Robertson and Williamson County indictments accusing her of doctor shopping for prescription drugs. The Office of Inspector General (OIG), with assistance from sheriff’s officers in Robertson and Williamson Counties, announced the arrest of Josie Weaver, 39, of Portland.
In Robertson County, Weaver is charged with two counts of fraudulently using TennCare to obtain the painkiller Oxycodone by doctor shopping for the drug, which involves going to multiple providers in a short period of time to obtain prescriptions for controlled substances. After she was served with those charges, she was taken to Williamson County, where she faces the same charge involving the same controlled substance, Oxycodone.
“When we’re working a case on a suspect, we sometimes have evidence about criminal activity involving more than one county, or more than one instance altogether, and indictments are handed down separately, as in this case,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “We appreciate and value the hard work of the providers across the state and their efforts in helping us develop these cases.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge. District Attorney General John W. Carney will be prosecuting the Robertson County case and District Attorney General Kim Helper will be prosecuting the Williamson County case. The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,657 people have been charged with TennCare fraud. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”
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