COFFEE COUNTY RESIDENT CHARGED WITH TENNCARE FRAUDNASHVILLE, Tenn. – A Coffee County man has been charged with TennCare fraud for trying to pay for a forged prescription for a painkiller with his TennCare card. The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of 27-year-old Phillip Eugene Barks, arrested with the help of the Tullahoma Police Department. Barks is accused of attempting to use his TennCare benefits to pay for a fraudulent prescription for Darvocet at a pharmacy in Tullahoma. The charge is a class E felony punishable by up to two years in prison. Coffee Co. District Attorney General Mickey Layne is prosecuting. “We continue to investigate and prosecute cases where people are subsidizing their drug habits with taxpayer funds,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said. “We depend on the cooperation of local pharmacies, providers and law enforcement agencies to help us find these cases and work them to a conviction.” 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.” |
