Twenty-two defendants had been indicted this week in Phoenix, Arizona, on felony fees, together with cash laundering, theft, conspiracy, fraud, and forgery, in a $60 million scheme that allegedly diverted medicaid funds meant for sober dwelling applications to a church for East African migrants.
The 51-count indictment introduced by the state’s Democratic Legal professional Normal on Tuesday alleges that Joyful Home Behavioral Well being billed the state over $60 million “for companies not rendered and/or partially rendered, together with however not restricted to, billing for deceased shoppers, billing for incarcerated shoppers, billing for hospitalized shoppers, billing beneath incorrect billing codes, and billing excessively.”
Moreover, Joyful Well being is accused of paying over $5 million to Hope of Life Worldwide Church, which later wired over $2 million to “an entity in Rwanda.”
It seems that the entire defendants are African migrants or refugees.
The Defendants pleaded not responsible within the Maricopa County Superior Court docket on Tuesday.
This comes as Democrats rally in opposition to Republicans in Congress for so-called cuts to Medicaid within the One Massive Lovely Invoice Act. In actuality, the invoice seeks to impose further screening necessities on Medicaid suppliers, guarantee correct funds, and forestall aliens from receiving Medicaid advantages, which might seemingly stop fraudulent schemes like this.
Satirically, Legal professional Normal Kris Mayes has dishonestly pushed the narrative that Republicans try to chop Medicaid to hurt seniors and rural People.
Medicaid cuts = rural hospitals closing. Medicaid cuts = nursing properties closing.
— AZ Legal professional Normal Kris Mayes (@AZAGMayes) March 5, 2025
Per 12 Information:
The new indictment lays out alleged legal exercise that occurred between August 2022 and January 2024:
- Phoenix-based Joyful Home Behavioral Well being billed the state for $60 million value of well being care companies “for companies not rendered and/or partially rendered.”
- Among the many 51 felony counts it faces, Joyful Home is charged with billing the state for shoppers who had been deceased, incarcerated or hospitalized.
- Joyful Home’s homeowners, Want Rusingizwa and Fabrice Mvuyekure, acquired checks from the enterprise for $2.9 million apiece. They may not be reached for remark.
- In alternate for referring shoppers to Joyful Home for companies, sober-living properties or different therapy facilities could be reimbursed with state Medicaid {dollars}.
- The church and its pastor, Theodore Mucuranyana, had been indicted on a mixed 10 felony counts of cash laundering.
- Joyful Home paid $5 million to Hope of Life Worldwide Church, and the church later wired $2 million to an unnamed “entity” in Rwanda.
- Joyful Home leased a constructing on the church grounds from Hope of Life.
The pastor’s lawyer, John Kolsrud, advised 12News after the court docket listening to that the AG’s workplace was attempting to “deflect blame” for its failure to police the Medicaid system.
Legal professional Ulises Ferragut represents two service suppliers charged with racketeering.
“It appears to be a neighborhood of parents that had been concerned,” he stated in an interview exterior the courthouse. “From what I’ve seen, a whole lot of them didn’t even understand that what they had been doing was a criminal offense.”
