Arizona Medicaid fraud brings prison sentence for nurse practitioner

Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes said Thursday that nurse practitioner Rita Anago was sentenced last week to 3.5 years in prison in a state Medicaid fraud case, after previously being convicted in a separate federal case in which she is awaiting sentencing.

Anago operated TUSA Integrated Clinic and served as the behavioral health professional for as many as 10 to 15 other behavioral health facilities, many of which have since been suspended or terminated, Mayes said at a news conference Thusrday.

Prosecutors said she submitted claims for services never provided, including claims involving children, incarcerated people and deceased individuals, while targeting Native Americans.

In the federal case, Anago was ordered to pay $55 million in restitution to the state of Arizona, according to Mayes.

The attorney general’s office has now convicted 41 individuals and entities and brought 140 indictments over the past three years as part of its Medicaid fraud crackdown, Mayes said.

Behavioral health billing in Arizona’s American Indian Health Plan totaled about $3.1 billion from 2021 to 2023 and has since dropped to about $230 million, she said.

Related

Arizona U.S. attorney details new healthcare fraud strike force2 Mesa residents sentenced to prison for scamming $3.3M from Arizona Medicaid agencyDust storm sends Phoenix air quality to dangerous levels, with more on the wayAuthorities arrested a man with ammo and apparently monitoring security at Trump golf course near LADave Ramsey says: Healing problems…togetherFormer Habitat for Humanity executive director sentenced for embezzling $826K from nonprofit