Missouri Attorney General Catherine Hanaway announced that a grand jury in Cole County has returned indictments in four major cases of alleged Medicaid fraud in the St. Louis region. Collectively, these cases account for more than $230,000 in fraudulent claims, demonstrating the Office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit’s (MFCU) ongoing commitment to protecting taxpayer dollars and ensuring the integrity of Missouri’s Medicaid system.
In one of the most serious cases, Sharon Cox, a licensed practical nurse (LPN), has been charged with submitting 220 false nursing reports between March 2021 and November 2023 while employed through Harris Best Care, Inc. These reports included fabricated patient vital signs and records of visits that never occurred, including visits allegedly conducted while one Medicaid recipient was hospitalized. In total, Cox’s false claims resulted in Medicaid payments of more than $11,000. Investigators also discovered that Cox was simultaneously clocking in for other Medicaid services through a separate provider, Prestige Home Health Team, while submitting nursing reports to Harris Best at the same time. This pattern mirrors Cox’s prior misconduct: in 2011, the Missouri State Board of Nursing disciplined her license for falsifying similar documentation.