Kentucky Man Convicted of TennCare Fraud

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Kentucky man must repay Tennessee $10,000 after being found guilty of TennCare fraud.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the conviction of Rene Gonzalez, 44, of Elkton, Kentucky, who was found guilty of four counts of TennCare fraud and one count of theft of services over $10,000.

Gonzalez was charged in November 2014 when he was indicted for falsifying his TennCare application and subsequent documents by saying he lived in Tennessee, even though he lived in Kentucky. As a result, Gonzalez received TennCare medical assistance benefits for himself and his children. 

“When people cross state lines to gain healthcare insurance benefits meant for Tennesseans, they’re stealing services,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “They’re also damaging the TennCare program, and we intend to preserve the program’s integrity by weeding out these folks.”  

Upon conviction, Gonzalez was sentenced to five years supervised probation and he was ordered to pay restitution to TennCare in the amount of $10,000.00.  District Attorney General John W. Carney prosecuted this case.

The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to more than $3 million being repaid to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of more than $163.6 million for TennCare, according to latest figures. To date, 2,621 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”