PHOENIX — Arizona Attorney General Kris Mayes announced over 40 indictments across 10 cases that will now move through courts across the state.
Wednesday's announcement is part of a nationwide effort to crack down on health care fraud.
The cases highlighted at Mayes' press conference varied from a sober living home fraud case, to a woman accused of providing cosmetic injections without a license, and a 73-year-old accused of negligent homicide.
"This is the house that he purchased with his fraudulent activity," said Mayes.
She showed video and pictures from inside the home of Thomas Heard, who was just sentenced to two years behind bars and seven years of supervised probation.
Court documents say Heard was the CEO of Heard Health Care LLC.
"He billed the state for patients who were already dead," said Mayes. "He billed for children, toddlers for alcohol dependence treatment that they could never receive. He billed for patients who were incarcerated and could not have been in his care."
Mayes said they were asking the judge on the case to order over $30 million to be paid in restitution.
The new indictments highlighted at the press conference included one out of Navajo County, where a woman has been charged with negligent homicide.
Lorraine Ferrante, 73, was indicted last month on a long list of charges, including performing midwifery without a license.
The AZ Attorney General's Office alleged an unborn child died due to her negligence.
Mayes said Wednesday, people performing midwife services without a proper license is a "rising and dangerous problem" here in Arizona.
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The ABC15 Investigators were also able to ask questions about the latest woman accused of providing cosmetic injections without a license.
According to the paperwork obtained by ABC15, Brandi Dees has now been indicted just days after we first reported her arrest.
The ABC15 Investigators previously sat down with Mayes to talk about unlicensed injectors in Arizona.
She believes there are changes that can be made at the state level that could help improve enforcement.
"We need stiffer penalties; that would be passed by the legislature," said Mayes. "And then we need probably, most likely, more funding to state agencies like DHS to be policing this."
ABC15 will continue to track these cases as they move through courts across the state.
