Kentucky social worker Jeremy Catron indicted for Medicaid fraud

March 3, 2014

Attorney General Jack Conway and his Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Unit today announced that a former co-owner of a Barren County mental health treatment center has been indicted on charges involving theft and fraud.

On January 31, the Barren County grand jury charged Jeremy Catron, 36, with theft by unlawful taking over $10,000 and devising or engaging in a scheme to defraud the Kentucky Medicaid program. Catron was arraigned this morning in Barren County Circuit Court and pleaded not guilty. A pretrial hearing was set for April 28.

Catron is the former co-owner of Alliance Counseling Associates. The indictment alleges that Catron billed the Kentucky Medicaid program for therapy services that he did not perform, resulting in a loss to the Medicaid program of more than $10,000.

Theft by unlawful taking over $10,000 is a class C felony. Devising or engaging in a scheme to defraud the Kentucky Medicaid program is a class D felony. If convicted, Catron faces up to 15 years in prison.

This case was investigated by General Conway’s Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control Unit and the Cabinet for Health and Family Services’ Office of the Inspector General. It will be prosecuted by the Office of the Attorney General in Barren County Circuit Court.

A charge is merely an accusation. A defendant is presumed innocent until and unless proven guilty.

Medicaid Recoveries

Since Attorney General Conway took office in January 2008, his Office of Medicaid Fraud and Abuse Control has recovered or been awarded more than $260 million dollars for the state and federal Medicaid programs. These cases range from lawsuits and settlements against pharmaceutical companies to cases against individual providers.

In 2013, General Conway’s Medicaid Fraud Unit was named one of the most aggressive in the country by the nonprofit watchdog group Public Citizen.

The Attorney General’s tip line for reporting allegations of Medicaid fraud is 1-877-228-7384.

Source: "General Conway Announces Indictment of Former Treatment Center Co-Owner," news release for the Kentucky Attorney General's Office, February 17, 2014.