Two top advocacy groups are accusing Mississippi State Auditor Shad White of misleading Mississippians with a report claiming that up to 5% of Mississippians receiving Medicaid do so fraudulently.White announced in a statement on Tuesday that his office had discovered that the Mississippi Division of Medicaid was "potentially handing out millions to ineligible people." Whoops! All others, we audit. Shad, youre welcome to use that.. He served as policy director when Bryant was lieutenant governor and was his gubernatorial campaign manager in 2015. The spotlight on White has grown more intense in the wake of Mississippi Todays The Backchannel investigation, which showed Bryant using private texts to influence his welfare director and try to broker a deal with a pharmaceutical startup that enticed him with stock in the company. Mississippi State Auditor Shad White is demanding that Management and Training Corporation pay back some of . In 2019, State Auditor Shad White launched an investigation into the PBM serving the states Medicaid program. Davis has pleaded not guilty, court records show. White at the time said that his office moved swiftly and without notifying or involving federal authorities so as to halt the scheme before any more money was misspent or stolen. The Mississippi State Auditor's Office is looking intowhether UnitedHealth Group, the fifth largest company in the U.S., is over-billing Medicaid for prescription drugs. <> Phil Bryant's own words about his role in the state's welfare fraud scandal are a great understatement.. And now at the three-year mark since investigators began nibbling at the edges of what state Auditor Shad White has called the largest public fraud case in state history, things still don't look good. 3 0 obj The auditor's office has been investigating several of the state's pharmacy benefit management contractors since 2019, after hiring Ridgeland-based law firmListon & Deas on the state's behalf. The Mississippi Department of Human Services said in a statement Monday to ABC News: "The Mississippi Department of Human Services (MDHS) has been in limited, one-way communication with the federal authorities. If youre not able to add the byline, please include a line at the top of the story that reads: This story was originally published by Mississippi Today and include our website, You cannot republish our editorial cartoons, photographs, illustrations or graphics without specific permission (contact our managing editor. 0:00. endstream BX1I &)c)K1 dXJ5! Especially if I wasnt going to take strong action on it, I would turn it over to somebody else.. Mississippi Division of Medicaid investigators dont have the regulatory power to review tax returns themselves, something White said should change. Favre allegedly received the funds for speeches that he did not give, the AP reported. . (WLBT) - More details are emerging about the state auditors investigation into the Jackson City Councils legal expenses, as are accusations about what sparked the states inquiry. With 176,000 Mississippians without healthcare, the state has chosen not to expand Medicaid. The NAACP called on Attorney General Merrick Garland to investigate years of allegations of widespread welfare fraud and misspending in Mississippi totaling over $94 million, according to a letter obtained exclusively by ABC News. pic.twitter.com/rDuj6yHTo6. But White did not reveal that storyline to the public. Program Auditor I. Scanlon told WLBT previously that the memo was drawn up to hurt the councils chances in that case. P.O. Three former state auditors say they would have recused themselves or limited their involvement in the investigation into Mississippi's welfare fraud scandal to avoid perceptions of conflict of interest due to current auditor Shad White's close relationship with former Gov. Hartley questioned the timing of the auditors investigation and how the auditor was made aware of the councils expenses. <> largest civil recovery after an auditors investigation in the history of the office, and concluded cases that, collectively, led to hundreds JACKSON, Miss. Four out of six have since pleaded guilty to state charges. &A(@ `$&UV/?4b ( 4)c%@/ P$Y$H`=V```````8@Ii We center readers in everything we do, informingand engagingMississippians through reporting, podcasts, events and online communities. Both lawsuits say the legislation - HB 1020 - disenfranchises black Jacksonians and infringes on their rights as citizens. State Auditor Shad White has named Larry Ware as the new Director of Investigations. 2023 Magnolia Tribune. Confirmation of the probe comes a week after Mississippi Attorney General Lynn Fitch and State Auditor Shad White announced a $55 million settlement with Centene, another Fortune 500 company, to resolve allegations Centene had over-billed the state Division of Medicaid for prescription drugs. 25, 2023 at 4:28 PM PDT JACKSON, Miss. Mabus said that given Whites ties to Bryant, he should have handed off his lead role in investigating to someone else. State Auditor Shad White issued the following statement after Theodore DiBiase Jr. was indicted today in federal court: Continue Reading, JACKSON, Miss. The guilty plea was recorded in Judge J. Kelley Luthers courtroom. An April 14 email from City Attorney Catoria Martin to council members informed them that since April 5, we have received daily requests for additional information and for updates on the information previously provided.. Anderson said, Our counsel, Mr. Piggot, has already been reaching out to a number of them inviting them to come sit down and talk with us and tell their side of the story. Job openings are posted for recruitment with Workplace Investment Network (WIN) Job Service Offices and on the Mississippi State Personnel Board (SPB) website at www.mspb.ms.gov. Today State Auditor Shad White announced former Coahoma Community College employees Gwendolyn Jefferson and Stacie Neal were each sentenced to serve five years in prison. Mississippi Office of the State Auditor United States employs 43 employees. The Mississippi Today investigation revealed that the former governor assisted a company called Prevacus, which improperly received welfare money, and he was poised to receive stock in the company until Whites office made arrests and announced its investigation. In its annual single-audit report an audit conducted on behalf of the federal government for the fiscal year ending in June 2020 the Office of the State Auditordetails how the Mississippi Division of Medicaid may be giving benefits to people who make too much money to qualify. But some holes in the audit have since emerged, especially relating to Bryants involvement behind the scenes. BX)VPaz]o^8{c?d>qYS{~/$q}r8KL=y|11#fOi+x4?&bqPV@dAN/^3R9tIPG_JmDEZ=}:;8)G9uuwn|IfXN du.wf*Q@4.6V&P\7>x[x~^=W%C:[`=KsypRVRCG isvJeJZ[KShL=o_D@4PLd__0wn:-U=i7?k=y+\4b The charges are one count of embezzlement, three counts of false representations to defraud the government, and one count of alteration of records. But now they initiate the action to look at some invoices with all the other things that could have popped up on their radar?, Did they all of a sudden call the city up and say, Hey, weve been looking at your invoices, and we want to make sure that you guys are doing everything OK? Hartley said. not the other way around.. To learn more about our cartoon syndication services. - SB 2338 of 2022 which requires the Department of Human Services Fraud Investigations Unit to report suspected crimes to . Adult Protective Services: Mississippi Department of Human Services. Phil Bryant have helped cast doubt over the independence and rigor of the state welfare investigation led by White. Knowing what we know now, clearly he should have recused himself and should be recusing himself now.. announced a $55 million settlement with Centene, it opted to extend the contract for another year, Your California Privacy Rights / Privacy Policy. - Today State Auditor Shad White announced that Special Agents from his office have served Management & Training Corporation (MTC) with a civil demand totaling nearly $2 million after the company failed to follow the terms of its contract to operate the Mississippi Department of Corrections (MDOC) facility in Marshall County. You cant edit our stories, except to reflect relative changes in time, location and editorial style. State of Mississippi State Auditor Shad White told the Magnolia Tribune that his office continues to work month in and month out to recoup such funds for taxpayers. If Medicaid had the legal ability to do the analysis that we did here, there would be potential savings for the state and for Medicaid, he said. ", Johnson said the Mississippi state auditor's findings were referred to the Justice Department, "however, nearly two years later, despite the overwhelming documentary evidence of fraud, forgery, and abuse in this matter, DOJ has not yet launched a criminal investigation. JACKSON, Miss. Box 1699 Jackson, MS 39215-1699. The council did not immediately approve a new contract with the company and residents were left without pickups for approximately two weeks. Reveal contacts of top Mississippi Office of the State Auditor managers and employees. White has said that after his initial eight-month investigation and arrests, he has involved federal authorities and turned over everything his investigators have. While its not the divisions policy to divulge details into an ongoing investigation, it is true that people do abuse government programs, including Medicaid.. As part of these agreements, the price of prescription drugs are capped. k"=z@T All rights reserved. We believe that an informed Mississippi is a better Mississippi. Investigators are working to determine if OptumRX charged more than contractually allowed, costing taxpayers as a result. Recouping taxpayer monies part of State Anne Summerhays is a recent graduate of Millsaps College where she majored in Political Science, with minors in Sociology and American Studies. In a sampling of 180 benefit recipients, the auditors office found nine examples of people making too much money to qualify for Medicaid benefits. Bryant said at the time that he wanted someone with independence who did not have numerous political relationships and ties to the government officials and institutions he would be auditing. He was political and investigative editor at the Clarion Ledger, where he also penned a popular political column. An early oddity in the auditors probe came when White went to the Hinds County District Attorneys Office notoriously understaffed and suffering huge backlogs of cases after he launched an eight-month investigation without notifying federal authorities. Advertising Non-Discrimination Certification. . The fraud allegations were first revealed in 2020 by state prosecutors in one of the largest cases involving embezzlement claims in state history. See The Spending Sarah Warnock/Mississippi Clarion Ledger via USA Today Network, FILE. Got a story tip? Then-Southern District U.S. Attorney Mike Hurst in early 2020 issued a release noting, We in the United States Attorneys Office and the FBI only learned from media reports about the indictments and arrests, at the same time the general public did., While we commend the reported actions, neither the FBI nor the United States Attorneys Office was contacted by the State Auditor or the Hinds County District Attorney about this investigation, although millions of federal dollars are alleged to have been stolen.. ", White said in 2020 after the indictments, "This is an example of money going to or should have gone to folks who needed it through a federal program, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). He previously served as an investigative reporter and political editor at the Sun Herald, where he was a member of the Pulitzer Prize-winning team for Hurricane Katrina coverage. He also said that the letter of engagement with the firm in question included the $375 for when its senior partner participated. The company reported over $257 billion in revenue last year. Six people have been indicted on state charges, including Davis. Mississippi is now taking steps to give investigators more time to look into bribery cases. Continue Reading. 2rT/5}d+|D @kRO\AZhwdxd;!bfxkt74Pk]*J90y[nbf"cy 1 0 obj Attorney Felicia Perkins confirmed during the April 17 hearing that the memo referenced in the court filings was the document being submitted. Voting along with him were Ward 5 Councilman Vernon Hartley and Ward 6 Councilman Aaron Banks. Marshand Crisler, a candidate for Sheriff once again, now faces federal charges related to soliciting bribes and providing ammunition to a convicted felon. More than two years later, federal authorities have not brought any charges related to the welfare scandal. (844) 437-6282 Website.
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