A Minnesota mother and son have been charged after prosecutors alleged that Medicaid paid more than $130,000 for care that was never provided. Investigators say the son recorded hundreds of caregiving shifts that overlapped with hours at another job, while his mother signed off on the time sheets. The charges also cover claims involving five other family members for whom she was responsible. Both face multiple counts of theft by false representation.
Angela Ruth Johnson, 59, of Rogers, faces six counts, according to court documents filed Friday, September 25th. Her son, Mark Anthony Johnson, 32, of Brooklyn Park, faces four counts of the same offense. The allegations concern Medicaid-funded services reported through Always on Time Health Services, a company based in St. Paul. Prosecutors say the billing continued over a period that stretched from October 2020 into June 2023.
Mark Johnson reported working as a personal care assistant for his mother from June 2021 through June 2023. The arrangement involved waiver services, which can help eligible Minnesotans receive care in their homes and communities. The criminal complaint alleges that on more than 350 occasions, his time sheets placed him with his mother while employment records documented him working at Alpine Diversified Services, a fire safety business. Angela Johnson allegedly signed those time sheets.
The overlapping work records form a central part of the case against Mark Johnson. Prosecutors allege that his time sheets claimed more than 1,000 hours of services he didn’t actually provide. Medicaid paid more than $34,000 on those claims, while Mark received more than $13,500 in wages, according to the complaint described by CBS Minnesota. The payment to the provider and the wages paid to Mark are different figures.
The allegations against Angela Johnson extend beyond the shifts her son reported for her care. According to the court documents, she also acted as a “responsible party” for five other members of her family. In that role, a person directs and supervises care for a minor who cannot direct it independently. Prosecutors allege that Angela completed and approved time sheets for herself and others that listed services that never took place.
Those claims ran from October 2020 through June 2023, according to the complaint. Prosecutors say they caused Medicaid to pay more than $100,000 to Always on Time Health Services. Minnesota’s Department of Human Services explains that home and community-based waivers fund certain services for eligible people with disabilities or chronic illnesses outside institutional settings. The Johnson case turns on whether the care recorded on the submitted time sheets ever actually occurred.
The complaint describes two related sets of allegedly false claims: Mark Johnson’s reported shifts caring for his mother and the additional time sheets Angela Johnson allegedly completed or approved. The figures reported for those claims are more than $34,000 and more than $100,000, respectively. Prosecutors have charged the mother and son. The available report doesn’t say that Always on Time Health Services itself has been charged.
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If convicted on all counts, Angela Johnson faces a maximum possible sentence of 60 years in prison, while Mark Johnson faces a maximum of 40 years, CBS reported. For Mark, prosecutors point to the more than 350 occasions when his caregiving time sheets allegedly conflicted with records from his other employer. For Angela, they allege she signed off on claims covering both her own care and services reported for other family members.