Michelle Shropshire, 54, of Waldorf, Maryland, and Harlisha Jones, 49, of Clinton, Maryland, and Washington, DC, were arrested Friday morning on health care fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy charges filed in the United States District Court.
The arrests were announced by US Attorney Jeanine Ferris Pirro, Assistant Director in Charge Steven J. Jansen of the FBI Washington Field Office, and Inspector General Michelle Zamarin of the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority Office of Inspector General.
Both defendants are scheduled to make their first appearance in District Court for the District of Columbia today.
According to the indictment, from June 2021 to January 2024, Shropshire and Jones, both train operators for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), conspired to submit fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims for injuries, medical treatments, and disability periods that did not exist.
Court filings indicate that the defendants used genuine doctors’ information to produce bogus medical excuse notes and physician’s declarations, including counterfeit doctors’ signatures, which were submitted to AFLAC in support of the insurance claims. Then, once AFLAC paid each claim to Jones, she paid Shropshire a percentage of the overall claim payout. As a result of the bogus insurance claims, AFLAC paid Jones roughly $58,750, of which Jones returned approximately 20% to Shropshire.
The indictment also states that, in addition to Jones, Shropshire aided multiple other WMATA employees in filing fraudulent health care and short-term disability insurance claims with AFLAC. As a result of the fraud, AFLAC paid at least $362,035.14 in bogus insurance benefits to Shropshire, Jones, and other WMATA employees.
Sharon Washington, 53, of Woodbridge, VA; Selethia Blake, 53, of Waldorf, MD; Brady Turner, 56, of Clinton, MD; Lushawn Foreman, 51, of Upper Marlboro, MD; and Margot Jackson, 52, of Hughesville, MD, were among those who worked there.
Washington, Blake, Turner, Foreman, and Jackson have all admitted to participating in Shropshire’s scheme, including sending kickbacks to Shropshire with a portion of their claim reimbursements, and they have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to conduct health care fraud. Each is currently awaiting sentence.
If convicted, Shropshire and Jones face a maximum statutory punishment of 20 years in prison for the charged counts, plus a two-year mandatory sentence for aggravated identity theft. Congress determines the maximum statutory penalty for federal offenses and provides it for informative purposes. If convicted, the court will decide the defendants’ sentence using the advisory Sentencing Guidelines and other statutory factors.
These cases are being examined by the FBI Washington Field Office and the WMATA Office of Inspector General. Brian P. Kelly and Diane Lucas, Assistant United States Attorneys, are prosecuting them.