U-S Attorney General Jeff Sessions and Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Tom Price, M.D., announced today (Thursday) the largest ever health care fraud enforcement action by the Medicare Fraud Strike Force, involving 412 charged defendants across 41 federal districts. Of those charged, over 120 defendants were charged for their roles in prescribing and distributing opioids and other dangerous narcotics.

U-S Attorney Kevin VanderSchel said five individuals were indicted in the Southern District of Iowa in two schemes involving the distribution of opioids.

• 47-year old Shawne Marie Widener, of Hamburg, was charged with multiple counts of possession with intent to distribute hydrocodone and oxycodone.
• 31-year old Mark Edward May, 32-year old Chiann May Jones, 37-year old Clara Ann Milks, and 40-year old Jeremiah D. Jones, all of Missouri Valley, were charged with conspiracy and distribution of hydrocodone and oxycodone.

The enforcement actions were led and coordinated by the Criminal Division, Fraud Section’s Health Care Fraud Unit in conjunction with its Medicare Fraud Strike Force (MFSF) partners, a partnership between the Criminal Division, U.S. Attorney’s Offices, the FBI and HHS-OIG. In addition, the operation includes the participation of the DEA, DCIS, and State Medicaid Fraud Control Units.

Nationally, the defendants are charged with various health care fraud-related crimes, including conspiracy to commit health care fraud, violations of the anti-kickback statutes and money laundering, as well as crimes involving the illegal prescribing and distribution of opioids and other dangerous narcotics. The charges are designed to aggressively target schemes billing Medicare, Medicaid, and TRICARE (a health insurance program for members and veterans of the armed forces and their families) for medically unnecessary prescription drugs and compounded medications that often were never even purchased and/or distributed to beneficiaries. The charges also involve individuals contributing to the opioid epidemic. According to the CDC, approximately 91 Americans die every day of an opioid related overdose.

The individuals in Iowa were investigated by the Department of Health and Human Services – Office of the Inspector General (HHS-OIG), Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA), Iowa Department of Public Safety – Division of Narcotics Enforcement, and the Iowa Medicaid Fraud Control Unit. Their cases are being prosecuted by the United States Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of Iowa.