Wilson Co. Man Ordered to Repay TennCare in Fraud Case

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Wilson County man must repay the state after appearing in court on his third round of TennCare fraud charges.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced a plea agreement involving Randall Wayne Bowers, age 60, of Mt. Juliet. He was sentenced to two years and one day of unsupervised probation and ordered to make restitution in the amount of $7,310.85.

Bowers was charged with TennCare fraud in September 2015 when he was accused of falsely claiming his minor child was a dependent in his home in order to qualify for TennCare healthcare insurance benefits. That arrest occurred less than a month after his first arrest on the same charge in Wilson County. He pleaded guilty in the Wilson County case, receiving two years supervised probation and was ordered to repay the state $5,549.34. 

In all Bowers has been ordered to repay the state $12,860.19 in restitution.  District Attorney General David Clark prosecuted the Anderson County Case and District Attorney General Tom P. Thompson, Jr. prosecuted the Wilson County case.

TennCare fraud is now a Class D felony punishable by up to four years in prison.

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, 2,811 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.

Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or visit the website and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”