THREE PEOPLE ARRESTED ON TENNCARE FRAUD CHARGES

HAMBLEN COUNTY COUPLE, MCNAIRY MAN ARE LATEST CHARGED

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A husband and wife from Hamblen County have been charged with TennCare fraud for not reporting changes that would have disqualified them from the program.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced that Joe Gibson, 47, and his wife Laura Gibson, 46, turned themselves in at the Hamblen County Police Department. An indictment charges them with intentionally failing to notify TennCare of changes that would make them ineligible for TennCare. Investigators say Joe Gibson had access to insurance through his employer.

The charges against the Gibsons are Class D felonies, punishable by up to eight years in prison. District Attorney General C. Berkeley Bell will prosecute the case.

In an unrelated case, James F. Borden, 48, of McNairy County was arrested and charged with by under-reporting his income to the TennCare Bureau. Charges say failure to report his accurate income resulted in a substantially lower TennCare premium for Borden and his family. The charges against Borden are class E felonies, punishable by up to two years in prison for each count. District Attorney General Elizabeth Rice will prosecute the case.

“With over 100 arrests since February, we hope the message is getting across that intentionally failing to report income or assets to TennCare will likely lead to a TennCare fraud charge,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud: Log on to www.tennessee.gov/tenncare and follow the prompts that read “Report Fraud Now.”