Griffin: ‘Individuals who submit false claims, misuse Medicaid funds, or exploit programs intended to serve vulnerable Arkansans will face significant consequences’
LITTLE ROCK – Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement announcing five Medicaid fraud arrests that were made by his Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) as part of the U.S. Department of Justice’s (DOJ) 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown
“On June 23, the takedown was led and coordinated by the DOJ’S Health Care Fraud Unit and its core partners from U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General, FBI, DEA, and MFCUs across the country. The cases are being prosecuted by Health Care Fraud Strike Force teams, 56 U.S. Attorneys’ Offices, and 45 State Attorneys General’s Offices nationwide.
“Angelia Lakey, 64, of Hoxie, was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud, a Class A felony. Lakey was employed as a personal care aide and submitted fraudulent Medicaid claims for services that were not provided. She used various schemes to conceal the fraud. One scheme included her using multiple cell phones to create the required electronic check-ins while she was not physically present to provide care. As a result of the fraudulent claims, Medicaid was billed approximately $108,380.16.
“Alexander Kirksey, 34, of Jonesboro, was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud, a Class A felony. Kirksey was employed as a personal care aide and claimed to have provided personal care services to multiple beneficiaries when he did not actually provide the services. As a result of the fraudulent claims, Medicaid was billed $58,644.28 for the claims
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“Oprah Ewing, 37, of Jonesboro, was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud, a Class B felony, and tampering, a Class A misdemeanor. Ewing, a personal care aide, assisted Kirksey in submitting fraudulent Medicaid claims for personal care services that were not provided. Ewing also attempted to coerce a witness to withhold information from investigators. Medicaid was billed approximately $5,893.12 for the fraudulent claims.
“Porcha Birdo, 35, of West Memphis, was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud, a Class B felony. Birdo, a personal care aide, improperly billed Medicaid for personal care services that were provided to her child. Under the Medicaid Personal Care Program, personal care aides may not bill for services provided to their own children. Medicaid was billed approximately $18,693.12 for the improper claims.
“Armanda Richardson, 50, of Pine Bluff, was arrested and charged with Medicaid fraud, a Class B felony. Richardson, a direct service professional, billed Medicaid for supportive living care services provided to her foster child during hours that overlapped with her full-time employment. Medicaid was billed approximately $16,401 for the improper claims
“These arrests send a clear message that Medicaid fraud is a serious crime. Individuals who submit false claims, misuse Medicaid funds, or exploit programs intended to serve vulnerable Arkansans will face significant consequences. I commend the exceptional work done on this case by Special Agent Laura Glover, Special Agent Brandon Muldrow, and Special Agent Marcus Custer from my MFCU division. I am also grateful for the assistance of the Sixth Judicial District Prosecutor Will Jones in these cases.”
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The Arkansas MFCU receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant totaling $4,781,516 for the Federal fiscal year 2026, of which $3,586,140 is federally funded. The remaining 25%, totaling $1,195,376 for the State fiscal year 2026, is funded by Arkansas General Revenue
About Attorney General Tim Griffin
Tim Griffin was sworn in as the 57th Attorney General of Arkansas on January 10, 2023, having previously served as the state’s 20th Lieutenant Governor from 2015-2023. From 2011-2015, Griffin served as the 24th representative of Arkansas’s Second Congressional District, where he served on the House Committee on Ways and Means, House Armed Services Committee, House Committee on Foreign Affairs, House Committee on Ethics and House Committee on the Judiciary while also serving as a Deputy Whip for the Majority.
Griffin is currently an officer in the Arkansas Army National Guard and holds the rank of colonel. Griffin served as an officer in the U.S. Army Reserve Judge Advocate General’s (JAG) Corps for more than 28 years. In 2005, Griffin was mobilized to active duty as an Army prosecutor at Fort Campbell, Kentucky, and served with the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault) in Mosul, Iraq
His previous assignments include serving as the Commander of the 2d Legal Operations Detachment in New Orleans, Louisiana; the Commander of the 134th Legal Operations Detachment at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; and as a Senior Legislative Advisor to the Under Secretary of Defense for Personnel and Readiness at the Pentagon. Griffin earned a master’s degree in strategic studies as a Distinguished Honor Graduate from the U.S. Army War College, Carlisle Barracks, Pennsylvania.
Griffin also served as U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Arkansas, and Special Assistant to the President and Deputy Director of Political Affairs for President George W. Bush; Special Assistant to Assistant Attorney General Michael Chertoff, Criminal Division, U.S. Department of Justice; Special Assistant U.S. Attorney, U.S. Attorney’s Office, Eastern District of Arkansas; Senior Investigative Counsel, Government Reform and Oversight Committee, U.S. House of Representatives; and Associate Independent Counsel, Office of Independent Counsel David M. Barrett, In re: HUD Secretary Henry Cisneros.
Griffin is a graduate of Magnolia High School, Hendrix College in Conway, and Tulane Law School in New Orleans. He attended graduate school at Oxford University. He is admitted to practice law in Arkansas (active) and Louisiana (inactive). Griffin lives in Little Rock with his wife, Elizabeth, a Camden native, and their three children
