Georgia health care fraud cases announced as part of a national enforcement action include allegations of false Medicaid billing, fake nursing credentials, and improperly billed psychiatric services.
Federal prosecutors said two Georgia men were criminally charged in separate cases tied to Medicare, Medicaid, and health care providers.
One case accuses an Atlanta doctor of billing Georgia Medicaid for thousands of services that were never performed. A separate civil case involving a Marietta mental health practice and its owner ended with a $375,000 settlement.
The Georgia Cases Were Part of a National Takedown
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Northern District of Georgia said the charges against Murrell Carnel Rutledge Jr. and Lonnie Releford were part of the Justice Department’s 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown.
Nationally, the operation resulted in charges against 455 defendants accused of participating in health care fraud and opioid abuse schemes involving more than $6.5 billion in alleged false claims.
In Georgia, the criminal cases focused on two different forms of alleged misconduct. Prosecutors said one involved medical services that were billed to Medicaid but never performed, while the other involved a man who allegedly used false credentials and another nurse’s identity to obtain health care jobs.
Doctor Accused of Billing for Services Never Performed
Rutledge, 52, of Atlanta, was charged in a federal indictment with 40 counts of health care fraud. Prosecutors said he established Rutledge Medical Associates, a medical practice in East Point, in May 2014.
Beginning in about January 2017 and continuing for at least six years, Rutledge allegedly billed Georgia Medicaid for wound care, cyst removal, psychotherapy, and allergy testing services that were not performed or were misrepresented.
The alleged false claims sought about $4.3 million from Georgia Medicaid, with approximately $2.6 million paid out.
The Claims Included Cyst Procedures, Therapy, and Allergy Testing
Prosecutors said the billing pattern covered several categories of services. The indictment alleges nearly 900 false claims for complex pilonidal cyst excisions and nearly 1,500 false claims for incision and drainage of deep abscesses or hematomas.
Prosecutors also allege Rutledge submitted or caused the submission of nearly 7,900 false claims for extended face-to-face psychotherapy sessions. He also allegedly submitted or caused the submission of more than 1,000 false claims for percutaneous allergy tests that prosecutors described as medically unnecessary.
The case is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Cathelynn Tio and Special Assistant U.S. Attorney James Mooney.
Another Case Accuses a Man of Posing as a Nurse
Releford, 57, was charged by federal criminal information with one count of concealment of material facts related to health care matters.
Prosecutors said that from August 2021 to April 2025, he applied for and obtained nursing jobs at hospitals and nursing homes around metro Atlanta by misrepresenting his qualifications. The alleged scheme involved fraudulent documents and the identity of a real licensed practical nurse, including the nurse’s name and license number.
Prosecutors said Releford did not have a nursing degree and was not qualified to practice as a licensed practical nurse in Georgia.
Providers Reportedly Paid Him and Billed Federal Programs
Prosecutors said Releford also falsely claimed he had no criminal history, despite prior convictions for identity theft and fraud.
Based on the alleged misrepresentations, health care providers paid his salary and billed Medicare and Medicaid for services he was not legally authorized to perform.
The case against Releford is being prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorney Edward C. Robinson Jr.
A Marietta Mental Health Practice Reached a Settlement
The Georgia Attorney General’s Office also announced a civil settlement involving Avant Interventional Psychiatry, an outpatient mental health practice in Marietta, and its owner, Dr. Okah Anyokwu.
Avant and Anyokwu agreed to pay $375,000 to resolve allegations involving Medicaid claims, according to the Georgia Attorney General’s Office.
The civil allegations said the practice submitted claims under Anyokwu’s provider number for psychiatric services that were actually rendered by other people, some of whom were not licensed or enrolled as Medicaid providers.
The Attorney General’s Office said Anyokwu substantially cooperated with the investigation after being contacted about the allegations.
Billing Records Can Reveal Fraud Patients Never See
Patients and caregivers can review Medicaid, Medicare, and insurer statements for services that were never received, visit dates that do not match appointments, providers they do not recognize, duplicate charges, long therapy sessions that never happened, procedures they did not undergo, and tests that were never discussed.
Patients can also verify a provider’s license through the state licensing board, especially when care is being provided in a hospital, nursing home, home-health setting, or behavioral health practice.
Suspected Georgia Medicaid fraud can be reported to the Georgia Medicaid Fraud and Patient Protection Division. Suspected Medicare fraud can be reported to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office of Inspector General at oig.hhs.gov/fraud/report-fraud.
