A couple from Omaha pleads guilty to Medicaid Fraud for claiming payments for caregiving for a child not in their custody.

According to a release from Arkansas Attorney General Tim Griffin, 36-year-old Daniel Caudle and 33 year-old Misty Berdine, were paid caregivers for their son through Elite Senior Care and billed Medicaid for payments during weeks when the child was not in their custody.

They were each sentenced to 12 months’ probation along with restitution of over $3500 they collected plus fined over $1700. The release also states that both Caudle and Berdine will be excluded for a yet to be determined time period from the State Medicaid Program. 

In a statement, Griffin praised his office's Medicaid Fraud Control Unity for their work with the Sixth Judicial Prosecuting Attorney in securing the guilty pleas. 

The full release from the Attorney General's Office is below:

Following guilty pleas entered by Daniel Caudle, 36, and Misty Berdine, 33, both of Omaha, Arkansas, Attorney General Tim Griffin issued the following statement:

“Earlier this week, the defendants pleaded guilty to Medicaid Fraud, a Class A misdemeanor. Claiming Medicaid payments for providing care to their son when he was not in their custody is egregious and an affront to hardworking Arkansas taxpayers.

“I congratulate my office’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit on their diligence to secure these guilty pleas, particularly investigator Dane Pederson and Senior Assistant Attorney General Sharon Strong, who worked in conjunction with Sixth Judicial District Prosecuting Attorney Will Jones.”

Berdine and Caudle were paid caregivers for their son through Elite Senior Care and billed Medicaid for payments during weeks when the child was not in their custody. They were each sentenced to 12 months’ probation, restitution in the amount of $3,526.87 and a fine in the amount of $1,763.44 plus court costs. Additionally, they will both be excluded from the State Medicaid Program for a period of time to be determined by the Office of Medicaid Inspector General.