Attorney General Alan Wilson announces two Upstate women arrested for Medicaid fraud

(COLUMBIA, S.C.) – South Carolina Attorney General Alan Wilson announced that his office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (SCMFCU) has arrested Chaka Shameeka Aisha Tucker, 45 years old, of Simpsonville, S.C., and Yakya D. Turner, 30 years old, of Greenville, S.C., for one count each of Medical Assistance Provider Fraud (43-07-0060). Tucker and Turner were booked into the Greenville County Detention Center on December 14, 2023, and December 18, 2023, respectively. 

An SCMFCU investigation revealed that Tucker, between the dates of November 12, 2022 through May 13, 2023, and Turner, between the dates of December 30, 2022 and May 12, 2023, did commit the offense of Medical Assistance Provider Fraud. Specifically, it is alleged that Turner and Tucker, while both were employed as personal care attendants, knowingly and willfully caused false claims for payment to the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services. According to investigators, both Turner and Tucker submitted false and fraudulent timesheets to Elite Home Care for hours that neither worked, and these timesheets were then used to bill the South Carolina Medicaid program for services that were never rendered to a South Carolina Medicaid beneficiary. 

This case will be prosecuted by the Attorney General’s Office. 

Medical Assistance Provider Fraud is a Class A misdemeanor and, upon conviction, has a penalty of not more than three years in prison and a fine of not more than $1,000.

Pursuant to federal regulations, the SCMFCU has authority over Medicaid provider fraud; abuse and neglect of Medicaid beneficiaries in any setting; and the abuse, neglect, and exploitation of individuals residing in assisted living facilities or nursing homes. 

Attorney General Wilson stressed all defendants are presumed innocent unless and until they are proven guilty in a court of law.

The SCMFCU receives 75 percent of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,698,638 for federal fiscal year 2024. The remaining 25 percent, totaling $899,546 for FFY 2024, is funded by South Carolina.