Catherine Hanaway
JEFFERSON CITY — Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that her office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit has obtained Medicaid fraud convictions against a Medicaid recipient and two personal care attendants who billed for services while the recipient was incarcerated, resulting in nearly $48,000 in losses to the state’s Medicaid program.
Medicaid recipient Ronale Rankins and attendants Charlene Otey and Tifiney Lothridge were convicted for their roles in a scheme that involved submitting claims for personal care services while Rankins was jailed and unable to receive those services, according to the Attorney General’s Office.
The Missouri Medicaid program was unlawfully billed 131 times during the course of the scheme, resulting in a total loss of $47,845.34.
The case stems from actions taken after Rankins was incarcerated at the St. Louis City Division of Corrections.
Missouri Medicaid’s Consumer-Directed Personal Care Program allows eligible recipients to hire personal care attendants to provide in-home services.
Prosecutors said that while Rankins was in custody, he instructed Otey during a recorded jail call to continue clocking in and out as though she were providing services to him so they could split the payments.
A total of 47 false claims for services allegedly provided by Otey were submitted while Rankins was incarcerated and could not have received care.
Rankins was jailed on each of the 198 dates that services were claimed.
Authorities said Rankins and Otey collaborated to steal $12,761.76 from Missouri Medicaid for services billed but not provided.
Afterward, while still incarcerated, Rankins hired Lothridge as his new personal care attendant and asked her not to disclose his incarceration during the hiring process.
According to the release, Lothridge submitted 84 false claims for services during the time Rankins was jailed and unable to receive care.
Rankins was incarcerated on each of the 373 dates for which services were claimed. In that portion of the scheme, Rankins and Lothridge collaborated to steal $35,085.58 from Missouri Medicaid.
The Attorney General’s Office stated that after Lothridge received payment for services not provided, she kept most of the funds and used CashApp to transfer a portion to another individual, who then deposited money into Rankins’ jail commissary account.
“Medicaid funds are meant to provide care to our most vulnerable, not to be collected for someone’s snack bill while incarcerated,” Hanaway said in a statement. “Every fraudulent claim weakens Missouri’s Medicaid system and makes it difficult for honest recipients to get the care they need. We will hold anyone accountable for gaming the system for personal gain.”
Otey pleaded guilty to one count of Healthcare Fraud in violation of 191.905.1, a Class D felony. She was sentenced to pay restitution of $6,380.88, single damages of $6,380.88 and a civil penalty of $5,000, for a total of $17,761.76. Rankins and Lothridge both pleaded guilty in 2025, according to the release.
The case was referred to the Attorney General’s Office by Provision Home Care Inc., the Medicaid Consumer-Directed Personal Care provider company that suspected fraud and reported it. The case was prosecuted by Medicaid Fraud Control Unit Chief Counsel and Assistant Attorney General Arvids V. Petersons, and the investigation was conducted by MFCU Investigator Joshua King.
“Collecting Medicaid PCA funds while incarcerated is blatant fraud. Our Unit works to help ensure anyone abusing Missouri’s Medicaid system is stopped and that justice is served,” Petersons said.
