Key Takeaways
- • Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced one Medicaid fraud conviction and one arrest as of September 2025, demonstrating ongoing enforcement against fraudulent billing claims within state healthcare programs.
- • Shylee Earlette Hagler, 53, of Little Rock pleaded guilty to Class A misdemeanor Medicaid fraud on August 26, 2025, and was sentenced to six months suspended imposition with $150 fine and $297 restitution after billing for in-home personal-care services while the beneficiary was hospitalized.
- • Zariaeah Blake, 24, of Pine Bluff was arrested on September 4, 2025, on one count of Class A misdemeanor Medicaid fraud for allegedly billing services not rendered while a beneficiary was admitted as an inpatient.
- • Arkansas's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) operates on a $4.7 million annual budget for Federal fiscal year 2025, with $3.5 million federally funded by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, supporting investigation and prosecution of healthcare program fraud.
- • The enforcement actions underscore systematic efforts by state prosecutors to protect vulnerable Medicaid beneficiaries from service billing abuse and hold perpetrators accountable.
Summary
Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin announced coordinated enforcement actions against Medicaid fraud on September 9, 2025, highlighting the state's continued commitment to prosecuting healthcare program abuse. The announcement reflected two separate cases: a guilty plea and a new arrest, both involving allegations of fraudulent billing claims within the Medicaid system.
In the conviction case, Shylee Earlette Hagler, 53, of Little Rock entered a guilty plea on August 26, 2025, to one count of Medicaid fraud classified as a Class A misdemeanor. Hagler was sentenced to six months suspended imposition of sentence, ordered to pay a $150 fine, and required to pay $297 in restitution. The fraud scheme involved Hagler claiming to have provided personal-care services to a Medicaid beneficiary in their home on multiple dates when the beneficiary had already been admitted as an inpatient at a local hospital. This pattern of simultaneous billing—charging for in-home services while the patient was hospitalized—represents a common form of Medicaid fraud.
In a parallel action, Zariaeah Blake, 24, of Pine Bluff was arrested on September 4, 2025, on one charge of Medicaid fraud, also a Class A misdemeanor. Blake was alleged to have billed for services not rendered while a Medicaid beneficiary was already admitted as an inpatient at a local hospital, representing a similar billing scheme targeting state healthcare resources.
The enforcement activity reflects the operational scope of Arkansas's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), which operates under substantial federal funding. For Federal fiscal year 2025, the MFCU received $4,685,736 in total funding, with $3,514,304 (approximately 75%) provided through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding structure supports investigation, prosecution, and case management across the state. Griffin credited Special Agents Richard Morales and Matthew Edwards, along with Assistant Attorney General David Jones, for their investigative work, and acknowledged support from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, and the Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones.
In the conviction case, Shylee Earlette Hagler, 53, of Little Rock entered a guilty plea on August 26, 2025, to one count of Medicaid fraud classified as a Class A misdemeanor. Hagler was sentenced to six months suspended imposition of sentence, ordered to pay a $150 fine, and required to pay $297 in restitution. The fraud scheme involved Hagler claiming to have provided personal-care services to a Medicaid beneficiary in their home on multiple dates when the beneficiary had already been admitted as an inpatient at a local hospital. This pattern of simultaneous billing—charging for in-home services while the patient was hospitalized—represents a common form of Medicaid fraud.
In a parallel action, Zariaeah Blake, 24, of Pine Bluff was arrested on September 4, 2025, on one charge of Medicaid fraud, also a Class A misdemeanor. Blake was alleged to have billed for services not rendered while a Medicaid beneficiary was already admitted as an inpatient at a local hospital, representing a similar billing scheme targeting state healthcare resources.
The enforcement activity reflects the operational scope of Arkansas's Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU), which operates under substantial federal funding. For Federal fiscal year 2025, the MFCU received $4,685,736 in total funding, with $3,514,304 (approximately 75%) provided through a grant from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. This funding structure supports investigation, prosecution, and case management across the state. Griffin credited Special Agents Richard Morales and Matthew Edwards, along with Assistant Attorney General David Jones, for their investigative work, and acknowledged support from the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office, Pulaski County Sheriff's Office, and the Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones.
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