GRUNDY CO. COUPLE CHARGED WITH TENNCARE FRAUD – AGAIN

NASHVILLE –  A husband and wife from Grundy County have been charged with TennCare fraud for the second time in less than one month.

The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of Larry Hill, 36 and Brandy Braden Horton, 29, both from Beersheba Springs, Tennessee. 12th Judicial Drug Task Force assisted in the arrests. Hill is charged with three counts of TennCare fraud for allegedly presenting forged prescriptions to pharmacies in Monteagle and Jasper for drugs paid for by TennCare.  The drugs obtained were the painkiller Oxycodone, Alprazolam (an anti-anxiety medication) and Cephalexin (an antibiotic).

Hill’s wife Brandy Braden Horton was charged with four counts of TennCare fraud for presenting forged prescriptions to a pharmacy in Jasper for the painkillers Hydrocodone, Endocet and Oxycodone, all paid for by TennCare.

The new charges are class E felonies punishable by up to two years in prison on each charge.  Both cases will be prosecuted by J. Michael Taylor, District Attorney for Marion County.

The couple was arrested in early December for TennCare fraud, each charged with obtaining or attempting to obtain a controlled substance to be paid for by TennCare. 

“We are becoming increasingly proactive in our investigations,” Inspector General Deborah Y. Faulkner said.  “The 12th Judicial Drug Task Force is one of many state law enforcement agencies contributing to our aggressive effort to thwart TennCare fraud.”

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.”