3 facing $9M in Medicaid fraud charges in SC

MYRTLE BEACH, S.C. (AP) — The former directors of a family-run South Carolina youth mentoring service have been charged with falsely billing nearly $9 million to Medicaid.

U.S. Attorney Bill Nettles says that Truman Lewis, Melanie Lewis and Norman Lewis were indicted Tuesday on felony charges of health care fraud, wire fraud and money laundering. It wasn’t known if they had attorneys.

Nettles says the relatives ran Helping Hands Youth & Family Services. The Lewis family is accused of using the millions they got from Medicaid billings to buy things for themselves including luxury cars and a beachfront condominium.

Court documents show the service’s offices in Conway, Georgetown, Columbia and Rock Hill closed abruptly in late 2010.

Prosecutors say the fraud took place between January 2009 and October 2010.