MACON, DAVIDSON CO. ARRESTS FOR TENNCARE FRAUD

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Macon County man and a woman from Davidson County have been charged with TennCare fraud.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today, announced the arrest of Brittany Renee Chambers, 25, on a six count indictment. The arrest was coordinated with the Metropolitan Nashville Police Department. Chambers is accused of twice passing forged prescriptions for the painkiller Hydrocodone at a local pharmacy and paying for it with TennCare. Chambers is also accused of presenting a forged prescription for the painkiller Lortab to another drugstore attempting to have the prescription paid by TennCare.

Possible criminal penalties for the charges are from one to four years for a Class E felony. District Attorney General Torry Johnson is prosecuting.

In an unrelated Macon County case, 42-year-old Timothy Knight turned himself in at the Macon County Sheriff’s Office for an outstanding warrant for TennCare fraud. Knight’s wife, Teanya Poteet Knight was arrested on October 5, 2005. Knight is accused of presenting a fraudulent prescription for Lortab to a pharmacy in Lafayette, and attempting to pay for it with TennCare benefits. The pharmacy discovered the forgery. The charges against both Timothy and Teanya are Class E felonies, punishable by up to two years for each individual. District Attorney General Tom P. Thompson will be handling the prosecution on the case against the Knights.

“We appreciate the pharmacy employees’ keen awareness and quick actions in reporting fraudulent actions,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. “We hope every health care employee knows who to call when they suspect TennCare fraud – and more importantly, people are learning that we will act on their suspicions.”

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tennessee.gov/tenncare and follow the prompts that read “Report Fraud Now.”