RICHMOND, Va. – On August 29, Jamahl Rennelle Burch, 43, from Hampton, became the final person to plead guilty in a long-running healthcare fraud operation that siphoned nearly $1 million from the Virginia Medicaid Program. This scheme targeted Medicaid’s consumer-directed care program, which helps low-income residents receive personal care services that allow them to stay in their homes rather than moving to nursing facilities.
Burch and his co-conspirators managed to manipulate the system by submitting fake timesheets for personal care attendants (PCAs) who never actually provided any services. From May 2015 to November 2023, they recruited Medicaid recipients and used their personal information to submit false timesheets for thousands of hours of non-existent care. The total amount defrauded? At least $936,950.70.
Burch pleaded guilty to several charges, including conspiracy to commit healthcare fraud, healthcare fraud, and aggravated identity theft. His sentencing is set for January 9, 2025. He could face up to 10 years in prison for healthcare fraud, along with an additional two years for the identity theft charges.
His co-defendants—Tonisha Staton, William Carter Jr., and Jesse Jerome Hendren—had already pleaded guilty earlier this year. Staton and Carter each used the same scheme to submit fake claims for services that were never provided to them. Hendren, from Henrico, used his relative’s Medicaid status to fraudulently obtain more than $150,000.
This case is another example of the loopholes and vulnerabilities in Medicaid, which fraudsters have been able to exploit for personal gain, ultimately draining resources meant for those in need.