Alaska fraud investigators charged 15 defendants in five Medicaid fraud cases involving about $1.83 million in alleged false billing, with claims tied to assisted living homes, dental care, personal care services, and respite care.
The Alaska Department of Law said its Medicaid Fraud Control Unit participated in the 2026 National Health Care Fraud Takedown between June 8 and June 22. The statewide cases covered Anchorage and the Kenai Peninsula and were investigated with help from the FBI and IRS.
State officials said the defendants are accused of billing Alaska Medicaid for services that were unsupported, not provided, inadequately staffed, or otherwise did not meet program requirements.
The charges are allegations. The defendants are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty.
Five Alaska Cases Came Out of the Health Care Fraud Takedown
Fraud investigators have charged 15 defendants with approximately $1.83 million in what officials describe as fraudulent billing to Alaska’s Medicaid program. https://t.co/tfivWAxvrv
— Anchorage Daily News (@adndotcom) July 8, 2026
The Alaska cases were part of the national 2026 Health Care Fraud Takedown, a coordinated enforcement push involving state and federal agencies. Alaska’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit said its five cases involved about $1.83 million in claims to the state Medicaid program.
The largest claims came from assisted living and supported living services. Smaller cases involved dental billing, personal care services, and respite care claims.
Assistant Attorneys General Heather Dyreng and Leif Haugen are prosecuting the five cases, according to the Department of Law.
The Largest Case Involved Graystone Assisted Living
Amie Sanneh, 72, Sainabou Faal, 46, and Graystone Assisted Living Home LLC were charged on June 17 with scheme to defraud, first-degree theft, and four counts of medical assistance fraud.
The state says more than $1.1 million in Medicaid claims submitted between 2022 and 2025 lacked sufficient supporting documentation. According to the charging documents described by the Department of Law, the defendants could not produce records for a substantial portion of billed services, and many of the records they provided were incomplete.
The Justice Department’s case summary said the claims involved four Medicaid recipients and that about $1,067,794.95 was paid on claims with no documentation or insufficient documentation.
The Heritage Case Focused on Staffing and Records
A separate assisted living case named Molly Joanna Bates, 46, Kyle Sujoy Bates, 48, Peyton Ward Love, 33, Heritage Assisted Living Home LLC, Heritage Home LLC, and Alaska Life Group Homes LLC.
They were charged on June 16 with scheme to defraud, two counts of first-degree theft, and seven counts of medical assistance fraud. The state says the case involves about $618,961.99 in Medicaid billing.
Investigators said the claims included supported living services that were not provided or were inadequately staffed, along with day habilitation services that had no records or insufficient records to support the billing.
A Dental Provider Was Accused of Improper Medicaid Claims
Joseph J. Mirci, DDS, 47, Peninsula Family Dental Center LLC, and Joseph J. Mirci DMD LLC were charged on June 22 with scheme to defraud, first-degree theft, and 19 counts of medical assistance fraud.
The state says the dental case involved about $83,985.97 in Medicaid claims submitted between January 2021 and September 2025.
Officials said the claims involved services that were not provided, were not medically necessary, were unsupported by patient records, failed to meet Medicaid requirements, or were billed at a higher level than the service actually performed.
Personal Care and Respite Claims Made Up the Smaller Cases
Marcus Edward Olsen, 36, of Kenai, was charged on June 9 with medical assistance fraud, second-degree theft, and falsifying business records. The state says he billed Medicaid about $4,418.84 for personal care services that were never provided.
The Justice Department case summary said Olsen’s timesheets claimed he regularly managed a recipient’s daily activities, toileting, and hygiene. Investigators said those entries did not match the recipient’s condition when the recipient was later admitted to a hospital.
Melia Tofaeono, 47, and Joshua Tofaeono, 36, of Anchorage, were charged on June 8 with scheme to defraud, second-degree theft, falsifying business records, and two counts of medical assistance fraud. The state says that case involved about $13,707.44 in respite and personal care claims for services that did not occur.
Charging documents said Joshua Tofaeono claimed services during times when he was working elsewhere or when the recipient was at school, while Melia Tofaeono certified that the services had been provided.
Families Can Compare Care Logs With Actual Visits
For families with relatives receiving assisted living, supported living, respite, personal care, or Medicaid-funded dental services, the paperwork matters. Care schedules, staff visit logs, appointment records, medication notes, dental treatment plans, and transportation records should match what actually happened.
A family member can ask the provider for care notes, dates of service, staffing records, or treatment records if something looks wrong. Red flags include bills for days when the patient was at school, work, the hospital, or away from the facility; repeated services the family never saw; missing care notes; unusually vague records; or a provider that refuses to explain what was billed.
Anyone with information about suspected medical assistance fraud, patient abuse, neglect, or financial exploitation in Alaska can contact the Alaska Medicaid Fraud Control Unit at 907-269-6279 or use the state’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit complaint form. Families should save care calendars, appointment records, billing notices, provider messages, photos, hospital records, and names of staff members before filing a report.
