A Natchez, Mississippi, woman is facing Louisiana Medicaid fraud charges after investigators said false CPR certification records were tied to more than $416,000 in Medicaid payments to a Concordia Parish counseling provider.
WJTV reported that Carolyn Brown of Natchez was charged in Louisiana as part of a broader Medicaid fraud enforcement action. The case was also listed in the Justice Department’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown case summaries.
Brown was identified in court records as an owner of Positive Choices Counseling Service, LLC, in Vidalia, Louisiana. An affidavit for arrest warrant filed in the 7th Judicial District Court for Concordia Parish says Positive Choices was licensed to provide therapy and counseling services to eligible Medicaid recipients.
The charges are allegations. Brown has not been convicted.
Investigators Focused On CPR Certification Records
Louisiana Medicaid providers offering home and community-based services must maintain current CPR certification, according to the affidavit. Investigators said the complaint came from the Louisiana Department of Health’s Program Integrity/SURS unit and Louisiana Healthcare Connections, a Centene managed-care company.
The affidavit says Brown and her husband, Edward Brown, submitted disputed CPR certifications from the National CPR Foundation for 2022 and 2024. Investigators said those documents would have covered a period from 2022 through 2026 because CPR certifications are valid for two years.
During a March 16 interview, Brown told investigators that she and her husband took online CPR classes but did not pay at the end of the classes, according to the affidavit. Investigators said she acknowledged submitting paperwork that included the disputed certificates when Positive Choices was audited by Centene.
An Online Check Flagged The Older Certificates
An agent later reviewed the certificates through the National CPR Foundation’s E-Verify tool. The affidavit says the 2022 and 2024 certificates lacked certificate ID numbers and renewal dates, while the 2026 certificates had certification dates, renewal dates, identification numbers, instructor names, and appeared valid on the website.
Investigators said Brown could not give a reason for the falsified CPR certificates. The affidavit says probable cause was established for four counts of Medicaid fraud and one count of filing or maintaining false public records.
Investigators Listed $416,039 In Medicaid Payments
Investigators reviewed the period covered by the disputed certifications and calculated $416,039.56 in Medicaid payments connected to 16,597 total units, according to the affidavit.
The largest year listed was 2024, with $200,477.74 in payments. The affidavit also listed $156,073.61 for 2025, $28,933.12 for 2023, $28,509.40 for 2026, and $2,045.69 for 2022.
Investigators said the claims were false because they were tied to services rendered while fraudulent CPR certifications were in place. The affidavit does not say that every counseling or therapy encounter included in the payment total was imaginary.
The Arrest Was Part Of A 21-Person Louisiana Sweep
WAFB reported that Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill announced 21 arrests in a statewide Medicaid fraud operation tied to allegations of false billing, false public records, and abuse involving vulnerable people.
WAFB identified Brown, 62, of Natchez, as a Concordia Parish case involving Medicaid fraud and filing or maintaining false public records. The outlet listed the alleged amount in Brown’s case as $416,039.56.
The Justice Department’s case-summary page says Brown was arrested pursuant to a warrant and that the case is being prosecuted by the Louisiana Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit with permission from the District Attorney’s Office for the Seventh Judicial District.
Patients Were Not Accused Of Doing Anything Wrong
The affidavit focuses on provider paperwork that investigators said was required for Medicaid participation. It does not accuse patients of taking part in the alleged fraud.
Patients and families should review Medicaid, managed-care, and provider records when they are available. Unfamiliar services, dates that do not match appointments, providers the patient never saw, or records that appear inaccurate should be questioned with the provider or health plan.
Louisiana Says Medicaid Fraud Can Be Reported Anonymously
The Louisiana Department of Health says suspected Medicaid fraud can be reported anonymously through separate complaint lines and online forms for provider fraud and beneficiary fraud.
WAFB reported that LDH Secretary Bruce Greenstein said the department’s Program Integrity Unit had reviewed more than 4,200 complaints of provider and beneficiary fraud this year. He said LDH identified or recovered more than $9 million in overpayments and penalties, removed more than 100 providers from Medicaid, and referred nearly 375 cases to the attorney general’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit and Bureau of Investigation.
Anyone who suspects Medicaid fraud should preserve billing notices, appointment records, provider names, dates of service, screenshots, letters, and plan communications. Louisiana residents can report suspected provider fraud to LDH, the Louisiana Attorney General’s Office, or the managed-care organization tied to the claim.
