GEORGIA WOMAN PLEADS GUILTY TO TENNCARE FRAUD

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Georgia woman has pleaded guilty to two counts of TennCare fraud stemming from charges she listed a post office box in Tennessee as her address … while her residence was actually in Georgia. 46-year-old Eddie Tinker and her husband Gary, 50 – both enrolled as Tennessee residents - were indicted in Nashville in March 2003 – but when police went to their home in Georgia to arrest them on TennCare fraud charges, they discovered a methamphetamine lab.

The Tinkers were charged and convicted of criminal attempt to manufacture and possession of meth. Gary Tinker is serving a 15-to-25-year sentence on the meth charges, while his wife has been paroled.

The Office of TennCare Inspector General (OIG) says the TennCare fraud charges have now been processed against Mrs. Tinker. The State says the couple “willfully and knowingly providing false information to the TennCare Bureau” on their TennCare application. The Tinkers listed a post office box in Whiteside, Tennessee as their address when their home was in Trenton, Georgia.

Eddie Tinker waived extradition to Tennessee and pleaded guilty this week in Davidson County Criminal Court to the TennCare fraud charges. Tinker was sentenced to two years on the TennCare fraud charges and six years on a charge of theft of services. The sentences, to be served concurrently, were suspended with supervised probation. As a condition of her probation, she must repay the State $11,552.36 and cannot enroll in TennCare for five years, even if she were a resident of Tennessee and eligible for TennCare.

“When people cross state lines to enroll in TennCare, they’re taking services away from Tennesseans who may need health care insurance,” Inspector General Deborah Faulkner said. “When Tennesseans hear about anyone crossing state lines to enroll in TennCare, we need to know about it so we can take them off TennCare and put them in prison.”

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.”

TennCare is the state’s managed care health insurance program for 1.3 million people who are poor, disabled or uninsured.