Former Powell residents indicted in $9.3M Ohio Medicaid fraud scheme

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WSYX) — A former central Ohio couple is facing 12 felony charges after investigators said they defrauded Ohio’s Medicaid program out of $9.3 million by billing for services that were never provided.

Ohio Attorney General Andy Wilson announced Wednesday that a Franklin County grand jury indicted former Powell residents, Roberta Acheampong, 39, and her husband, Godfred Owusu-Sekyere, 46.

The couple is being charged with engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, telecommunications fraud, theft, forgery, Medicaid fraud, money laundering and identity fraud.

“It’s important to remember that these are your tax dollars being stolen,” Wilson said. “We are committed to rooting out Medicaid fraud and holding offenders accountable.”

The Medicaid Fraud Control Unit in Ohio found what it described as widespread fraudulent billing tied to One Community Mental Health, a behavioral-health clinic the couple owned and operated in Franklin County.

Investigators said the husband and wife duo exploited refugees seeking resettlement services, billing Medicaid multiple times a week for entire households, without their knowledge, for unnecessary mental health and therapeutic behavioral services that were never provided.

They also allegedly forged documents and stole the identities of translation and transportation staff members to submit fraudulent Medicaid claims under those workers’ names.

Banking records showed the stolen Medicaid funds were moved through multiple accounts to finance lavish purchases including real estate and a Porsche.

The couple is believed to be living in Kenya or Ghana and extradition could potentially be on the table.

In separate cases, 10 other Medicaid providers were indicted in Franklin County this week.

Accused of stealing a combined $563,860 from Medicaid, the list of those indicted is as follows:

• Angel Barker: 48, of Cleveland – allegedly billed for home-health services on dates she was traveling, when she failed to show up, and/or while her clients were hospitalized. Clients reported that Barker worked fewer days than scheduled, refused required tasks, and asked them to sign blank timesheets, with some signatures later found to be forged. The loss to Medicaid totaled $4,284.
• Natoshia Branscome: 36, of Columbus – allegedly billed for 30 hours of weekly services while working only 10 hours per week, resulting in a loss of $5,893 for Medicaid. Video evidence showed Branscome visiting her client briefly on just two occasions over a nine-day period. When interviewed by investigators, she acknowledged her wrongdoing and attributed her actions to personal stress.
• Toni Heldman: 68, of Mason – accused of defrauding Medicaid by falsely claiming that she lived separately from her client, a relative, to bill at a higher reimbursement rate. As a home-health aide, Heldman billed for Homemaker Personal Care rather than the lower-paying Shared Living rate. Investigators discovered that Heldman even leased an Airbnb for a few days to trick a county caseworker during a routine monitoring visit. Another aide confirmed that Heldman asked her to lie to investigators about the living arrangement. The loss to Medicaid totaled $7,149.
• Josh Jackson: 29, of Cincinnati – charged after investigators identified a $20,131 loss to Medicaid. The home-health aide allegedly continued submitting timesheets and clocking into his employer’s electronic visit-verification system for a year after he stopped providing services to a client. A witness reported that Jackson often worked fewer hours than scheduled before he stopped showing up altogether. Employment records from Cincinnati Public Schools and a sporting-goods store showed that he was working other jobs while billing Medicaid for services.
• Dez’Aray Keith: 45, of Eastlake – allegedly billed for home-health services while working another job, while attending personal appointments and while a client was participating in an adult daycare program. The loss to Medicaid totaled $2,016.
• Ashley Lawton: 40, of Fairfield – allegedly defrauded Medicaid of $91,969 by billing for home-health and transportation services that she did not provide between 2021 and 2026. Investigators identified extensive billing during periods when Lawton was traveling in Denver; Cancun, Mexico; Destin, Florida; Las Vegas; Orlando, Florida; and New York City. Records also show that she consistently billed beyond her authorized service and mileage limits. Clients reported that Lawton routinely billed for far more hours than she worked.
• Karen Saunders: 63, of Westerville – charged with telecommunications fraud, Medicaid fraud and theft for allegedly stealing $361,053 from the program. While employed by New Albany Home Health Solutions, Saunders allegedly billed Medicaid for therapeutic behavioral-health services that she did not provide between 2020 and 2025. Investigators discovered that she repeatedly billed for services on dates that she was traveling or working a separate job, or when clients were elsewhere. Some clients denied receiving any services at all. When confronted, Saunders admitted that her actions were intentional and financially motivated.
• Summer Sheridan: 39, of Columbus – accused of double-billing for home-health services, resulting in a $62,806 loss to Medicaid. Investigators discovered that Sheridan submitted overlapping timesheets to two home-health agencies for the same client for roughly a year.
• Kandis Smith: 32, of Cincinnati – accused of submitting fraudulent timesheets for 35 days of in-home services while her client was hospitalized or in a nursing home. The loss to Medicaid totaled $4,246.
• Leo Ulery: 32, of South Point – accused of submitting fraudulent documentation to bill Medicaid for services that were never provided. Working as a counselor at New Life Recovery, Ulery allegedly cloned treatment notes to bill for counseling sessions when clients were not present. The loss to Medicaid totaled $4,313.