A Cannon County woman is accused of aiding and abetting a friend in an attempt to illegally obtain prescription drugs.
The Office of Inspector General (OIG) today announced the arrest of Kimberly A. McCallum, 37, of Woodbury. She was being held in the Rutherford County Jail on unrelated charges, when she was transported to the Putnam County Jail where she could be served with the TennCare fraud indictment.
A Putnam County Grand Jury indicted McCallum on three counts of TennCare fraud and two counts of obtaining a controlled substance by fraud. Charges say McCallum allowed a friend to use her son’s TennCare card on three separate occasions. Twice, the friend was able to obtain a prescription for the painkiller Hydrocodone by using the child’s TennCare benefits.
“People may not think about the repercussions of committing TennCare fraud to get prescription drugs, but at some point – possibly soon – anyone involved in the activity will be caught,” said Inspector General Deborah Faulkner. “The Office of Inspector General will continue to aggressively investigate and prosecute anyone discovered committing TennCare fraud.”
TennCare fraud is a Class E felony carrying a sentence of up to two years in prison per charge, and obtaining a controlled substance by fraud is a Class D felony, punishable by two to four years in prison per charge. District Attorney General Randall A. York is prosecuting.
The OIG, which is separate from TennCare, began full operation in February 2005 and has investigated cases leading to over $3.5 million paid in restitution and recoupment to TennCare, with a total estimated cost avoidance of over $173 million for the TennCare program, according to latest figures. To date, over 1,700 people have been charged with TennCare fraud.
Through the OIG Cash for Tips Program established by the Legislature, Tennesseans can get cash rewards for TennCare fraud tips that lead to convictions. Anyone can report suspected TennCare fraud by calling 1-800-433-3982 toll-free from anywhere in Tennessee, or log on to www.tn.gov/tnoig and follow the prompts that read “Report TennCare Fraud.”
