Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin on Friday announced two arrests made last week by his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit.
Porcha Birdo, 35, of West Memphis, was arrested April 30 on a felony Medicaid fraud count, the release says.
Working as a personal care aid, Birdo submitted claims worth $18,693.12 for services provided to her own child, the release says. A caregiver’s own children are not eligible for reimbursements under the Medicaid personal care program, the release says
Armanda Richardson, 50, of Pine Bluff was also arrested April 30 on the same charge, the release says. While working as a direct service professional, Richardson submtited claims to Medicaid for supportive living care services, the release says. The claims, amounting to $16,401, indicated services were provided to her foster child during hours which overlapped with time she worked at a separate full-time position, the release says.
Both women pleaded not guilty to the charges in Pulaski County District Court the day of their arrests and were scheduled to appear in court again on July 1, court records show. Neither woman was listed on the county jail’s online inmate roster on Friday.
Rafael Escalera Montoto
Rafael is a crime and breaking news reporter at the Arkansas Democrat Gazette. Before joining the Democrat-Gazette, he wrote breaking news and feature stories at Reuters in Mexico City, where he covered a range of topics across Central and South America. He has also covered housing, education, business and other topics at The Baltimore Banner. He is a graduate of the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at the City University of New York (CUNY) and is from San Juan, Puerto Rico.
