Federal prosecutors have charged two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority train operators with defrauding the insurance company Aflac with fake healthcare claims.
The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Columbia said in a release Friday that Michelle Shropshire, 54, of Waldorf, Maryland, and Harlisha Jones, 49, of Clinton, Maryland, submitted purportedly false claims from June 2021 through January 2024, thereby defrauding the insurer Aflac.
The attorney’s office said that the pair forged the signatures of real doctors and used their information to create false doctor’s notes and other such documents. These documents were then used to file for coverage for medical treatments, injuries, and short-term disability periods that did not exist.
Federal prosecutors allege that, in addition to filing fake claims to benefit themselves, the pair also helped other WMATA employees file fake claims.
Five of those other employees, Sharon Washington, 53, of Woodbridge, Virginia, Selethia Blake, 53, of Waldorf, Maryland, Brady Turner, 56, of Clinton, Maryland, Lushawn Foreman, 51, of Upper Marlboro, Maryland, and Margot Jackson, 52, of Hughesville, Maryland, have admitted involvement. They have pleaded guilty to conspiracy charges, federal prosecutors said.
Aflac paid at least $362,035.14 to the group of WMATA employees, with 20% of each person’s proceeds sent as a kickback to Ms. Shropshire, the attorney’s office said.
USAO-DC has charged Ms. Shropshire and Ms. Jones with health care fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and conspiracy.
If convicted, Ms. Shropshire and Ms. Jones face up to 20 years in prison for the fraud and conspiracy charges, and an additional mandatory two-year sentence for identity theft.
Metro told WDVM-TV that it “does not comment on personnel issues.”
