Nassau Man Arrested for Defrauding Medicaid

TALLAHASSEE, Fla.—Attorney General Ashley Moody’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, working with the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office, today arrested a home and community-based services provider for allegedly defrauding Medicaid. Following an investigation by the Attorney General’s MFCU, JSO deputies placed Christopher Tobey into custody on charges related to more than $20,000 in Medicaid Fraud.

Attorney General Ashley Moody said, “This scheme exploiting vulnerable Floridians to defraud Florida’s Medicaid Program of thousands of dollars is not just unconscionable, it’s illegal. But thanks to the skillful investigative efforts by members of my Medicaid Fraud Control Unit, this fraudulent operation was thwarted, and the defendant will face justice.”

After receiving a complaint from the Agency for Health Care Administration, MFCU began an investigation that revealed Tobey, owner of Lucid Star Healthcare of Florida, submitted fraudulent claims to AHCA for private duty nursing. Tobey claimed care for recipients who actually were on extended stays at hospitals.

Tobey faces one count of Medicaid Fraud, a second-degree felony. If convicted, Tobey faces up to 15 years in prison and more than $120,000 in fines and restitution.

The Attorney General’s office, through an agreement with the State Attorney’s Office for the Fourth Judicial Circuit, will prosecute the case.
The Florida Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit investigates and prosecutes providers that intentionally defraud the state’s Medicaid program through fraudulent billing practices. Medicaid fraud essentially steals from Florida’s taxpayers. From Jan. 2019 to the present, Attorney General Moody’s MFCU has obtained more than $40 million in settlements and judgements. Additionally, the MFCU investigates allegations of patient abuse, neglect, and exploitation in facilities receiving payments under the Medicaid program.