Lancaster Trio Sentenced for Health Care Fraud Conspiracy

COLUMBIA, S.C. - Charles McKinley Griffin, 56, Tika Michelle Griffin, 48, and Kirk Nathan Evans, 55, all of Lancaster, have each been sentenced for conspiracy to commit health care fraud.

Evidence obtained in the investigation revealed that the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services (SCDHHS) previously excluded Charles Griffin from provider eligibility for receiving Medicaid payments for billing for services not rendered and for overlapping services, among other violations. To evade SCDHHS' exclusion, Charles Griffin and his wife Tika Griffin established Transformation Services in Tika's name, which the couple thereafter used to defraud the State of South Carolina and Medicaid out of nearly $250,000 in funds.

Beginning in 2019, Tika applied to bill Medicaid through her company, Transformation Services, as a provider of behavioral health services. Tika and Charles then recruited Medicaid beneficiaries through after-school programs and summer camps in Lancaster and Kershaw counties to receive behavioral health services from therapists employed by Transformation Services. However, the therapists employed by Transformation Services, including Kirk Evans, were not authorized by the state of South Carolina to provide behavioral health services. Further, Transformation Services employees did not meet individually with the children to whom they claimed to provide services. Instead, Tika instructed Transformation employees to meet with children in groups but to bill as if they had met with each child individually over the course of several hours. By billing for overlapping and nonexistent services and rendering behavioral health services by unlicensed therapists, Transformation Services fraudulently billed Medicaid for nearly $250,000.

United States District Judge Mary Geiger Lewis sentenced both Charles Griffin and Tika Griffin to 30 months imprisonment, to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Evans was sentenced to 10 months imprisonment to be followed by a three-year term of court-ordered supervision. Tika and Charles Griffin were also ordered to pay $246,335.12 in restitution to the SCDHHS. The ordered amount is joint and several between Charles and Tika Griffin. Evans was ordered to pay $152,669.63 in restitution that was joint and several with Charles and Tika Griffin's amount. There is no parole in the federal system.

This case was investigated by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Inspector General and the South Carolina Attorney General's Vulnerable Adults and Medicaid Provider Fraud (VAMPF) unit. Assistant U.S. Attorneys Elliott Daniels and Scott Matthews are prosecuting the case.