A husband and wife along with another woman are charged in DeKalb County with TennCare fraud involving prescription drugs.The Office of Inspector General (OIG) announced the arrests, which were a joint effort with the Smithville Police Department.
“The OIG was formed because Tennesseans were tired of this activity going unchecked in a program as important as TennCare,” Inspector General Manny Tyndall said. “We’re one of the few units of this kind in the nation, and it brings a higher level of integrity to our public health program.”
The three arrested are:
Terry L. Johnson, 35, of Smithville, charged with TennCare fraud in connection with selling a controlled substance obtained using TennCare benefits.
Judy Johnson, 56, of Smithville, charged with TennCare fraud in connection with using TennCare to obtain a prescription for a controlled substance, then selling a portion of the drugs.
Cynthia Vaughn, 41, of Smithville, charged with two counts of TennCare fraud in connection with using TennCare to obtain a controlled substance and later selling a portion of the drugs to an undercover informant. An indictment says this happened on two separate occasions.
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years per charge in prison. District Attorney Bryant C. Dunaway is prosecuting.