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Nurse Accused of $24.2M Medicare Fraud Scheme
31 Jul
Summary
- Nurse prescribed HIV medication without seeing patients.
- Fraudulent claims totaled $24.2 million for HIV medications.
- Patients believed they were getting free phones, not drugs.
A registered nurse is facing federal accusations of orchestrating a health care fraud scheme totaling $24.2 million. Rashan Jammeelah Jones, an advanced practice registered nurse, allegedly prescribed HIV medications for individuals she had never encountered, seen, or evaluated. These prescriptions formed the basis for numerous bogus Medicare and Medicaid claims submitted by a nonprofit organization.
The nonprofit, First Coast Community Development Inc., allegedly partnered with a marketing company to promote HIV post-exposure prophylactic medications. This marketing effort targeted individuals who were led to believe they would receive a free cell phone, without their knowledge or consent to obtain HIV medication. Jones reportedly issued prescriptions for these individuals, which the nonprofit then used to bill Medicare and Medicaid.
Between November 2023 and July 2025, over 20,000 fraudulent claims were submitted, resulting in approximately $11.7 million paid by Medicare and $12.5 million by Medicaid. A marketing company owner, Jonathan Gholston, previously pleaded guilty to a related kickback charge in March. Jones has waived her right to a grand jury indictment and accepted the information charge, with her arraignment pending.
