An undercover investigation in East Nashville has resulted in the arrest of 13 individuals charged with defrauding the TennCare system.
State inspector general Deborah Faulkner says her officer had no trouble buying Codeine, Oxycotin and Oxycodone – among other drugs – from the TennCare patients.
“They were either trading or selling to make money for their own personal gain, and these are both doctor visits and drugs. These are narcotics we’re talking about in many cases that the taxpayers of Tennessee were paying for, and that’s just not acceptable.”
The arrests broke up an operation run by six members of the Fitzpatrick family. Most of the arrested individuals have been charged with street crimes in the past.
Faulkner says the sting operation should dry up most of the activity in the Madison/East Nashville area. However, she says, TennCare fraud continues to increase. The cases worked by the Office of Inspector General have led to 670 arrests since it began operating in 2005.
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