Pastor, family members indicted in medical fraud case
Aug 29, 2012, 4:26 PM | Updated: 4:26 pm
A pastor and two others have been indicted by a grand jury on allegations of defrauding $118,000 in health care benefits according to Attorney General Tom Horne.
Michael Salman, 39, and his wife Suzanne, 34, allegedly misrepresented their household income to the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
They received health insurance benefits for themselves and their children from the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System. The Salmans caused AHCCCS to pay out $73,000 for medical coverage.
Allegations claim that the pastor’s brother, Frank Salman, 37, also misrepresented his income to DES between May 2007 and March 2012. He received health care coverage from AHCCCS of $45,000.
“It is unacceptable for anyone who does not legitimately need AHCCCS assistance to devise this kind of scheme that ultimately rips off taxpayers and depletes badly-needed resources for the truly need,” said Horne in the release.
The state alleges that Michael Salman also submitted a false statement to the DES and AHCCCS about his employment to the National Bureau of Merchant Services. Both Salman and his wife were board members on NBMS.
The State Grand Jury indicted the Salmans’ for fraudulent schemes and artifices, theft, forgery and perjury.
“My office is determined to root out and bring to justice anyone who perpetrates fraud on the state and its taxpayers,” said Horne.
