ROANE CO. MAN ACCUSED OF ATTEMPTED TENNCARE DRUG FRAUD

NASHVILLE – A Roane County man has been arrested for trying to use TennCare to pay for an altered prescription.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest Edward Wells, 28, of Rockwood. According to the arrest warrant, Wells went on July 1 to a pharmacy in Kingston and attempted to fill a forged prescription for the painkiller Oxycontin and pay for it with his TennCare benefits. Wells faces one count of attempted TennCare fraud, and one count of attempting to obtain a controlled substance by fraud.

“In recent months, our office has seen an increase in prescription fraud referrals,” Inspector General Deborah Faulkner said. “We will continue to use all resources to thoroughly investigate and aggressively prosecute all forms of TennCare fraud.”

TennCare fraud is a Class E felony, which carries a sentence of up to two years in prison. Obtaining a controlled substance by fraud is a Class D felony that carries a sentence of up to four years in prison. District Attorney General J. Scott McCluen is prosecuting.

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.”