BATON ROUGE – Cooperation from three law enforcement agencies made it possible to arrest five Louisiana residents on Medicaid fraud charges.
The arrests come after a joint investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigation, the Louisiana Department of Health, and the Louisiana Legislative Auditor’s Office.
“It is troubling when people fraudulently receive benefits meant for those most in need,” said General Landry.
- 33-year-old Naji Khlaed Abdelsalam, of Alexandria, was arrested on one count of theft over $25,000, one count of government benefits fraud, and one count of filing or maintaining false public records. He is alleged to have provided false information regarding his income and employment status in order to obtain welfare benefits for himself, his wife, and his five children. His family allegedly had over $40,000 worth of claims paid by the Medicaid program despite Mr. Abdelsalam’s ownership of several businesses – including two convenience stores, a tire service business, and a multi-million dollar Medicaid provider company. Abdelsalam was also charged by General Landry’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with ten counts of medicaid fraud and one count of criminal conspiracy for alleged crimes committed as a provider.
- 52-year-old Harold Lejeune, of Lafayette, was arrested on one count of theft between $5,000 and $25,000. He allegedly received tens of thousands of dollars in benefits, while averaging at least twice the monthly income limit for Medicaid.
- 43-year-old Elton Miller, of St. James, was arrested on one count of filing or maintaining false public records. While allegedly receiving several thousands of dollars in benefits, he was earning nearly twice the monthly limit for Medicaid.
- 45-year-old Nolan Mallery, of St. Martinville, was arrested on one count of filing or maintaining false public records. He is alleged to have committed fraud by claiming his child resided with him and not the mother, whose income was well above the eligibility requirements for Medicaid benefits.
- 60-year-old Jeannie Lee Herman, of Bossier City, was arrested on one count of government benefits fraud and one count of filing or maintaining false public records. She allegedly claimed income of $150 weekly, but filed income taxes showing an income over $40,000 annually.
“Attorney General Landry and I are working closely together; and we are committed to finding any recipients who have falsified their information to gain benefits and rooting such fraud from our program,” said Legislative Auditor Darryl Purpera.
“I am thankful for the collaborative efforts of the LBI, the LDH, and the LLA,” concluded General Landry. “I hope to continue working closely together with these agencies so we may protect our State’s precious resources and save our taxpayer’s hard-earned money.”
