PHOENIX — A Peoria man was indicted on federal charges alleging he hid his ownership in a health care treatment company and submitted fraudulent charges for services to Native Americans through Medicaid totaling $33 million.
Maurice Marcell Williams, 48, faces prison and the loss of homes in Peoria and Waddell and a Rolls Royce he bought using the funds he received, which ran to nearly $20 million, the indictment says.
The indictment in U.S. District Court in Phoenix claimed Williams operated Thinking and Learning Together 2, LLC, a behavioral treatment provider in Phoenix, even though corporate records for the business list his son as running the company.
Williams is a felon, something he didn’t disclose when applying as a service provider with the state’s Medicaid system, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, or AHCCCS, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix.
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Between May 2022 and May 2023, the company wound up billing AHCCCS for services that were never rendered, the government said. AHCCCS paid Williams’ company about $19.7 million based on the claims.
“Williams specifically targeted AHCCCS members who were covered under the American Indian Health Care Program (AIHP) fee-for-service plan available to Native Americans,” the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Phoenix said in a statement.
The AIHP program was an inviting target for scammers, the indictment said.
“During the course of this fraud scheme, AIHP system lacked critical oversight measures, routinely issuing payments without conducting pre-payment medical record reviews or enforcing coding limitations,” the indictment said. “Corrupt business owners knowingly exploited these vulnerabilities to maximize fraudulent reimbursements.”
“To ensure immediate payment and bypass scrutiny, these operators targeted AIHP members or had patients switch from other managed care plans to AIHP, regardless of whether the member was Native American. TLT 2 operated precisely in this manner.”
The company billed for patients who were imprisoned or receiving treatment from other providers, for procedures that were medically unnecessary and didn’t happen.
Beyond the possibility of prison, the government also sought the forfeiture of his two homes and his Rolls Royce Cullinan, along with brokerage accounts he controls.
Williams was charged with health care fraud and money laundering, and each of the 11 counts he faces carries up to 10 years in prison.
The case grew out of an anti-fraud division within the Justice Department.
