Warren woman sentenced in Medicaid fraud case

COLUMBUS, Ohio (WKBN) – A Warren woman was recently sentenced in Franklin County Common Pleas Court in connection with a Medicaid fraud investigation.

Tonya Ware, 61, pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of possessing criminal tools. A charge of theft was dismissed as part of a plea agreement.

Ware was ordered to pay $2,000 restitution to be split between CareSource (a Medicaid provider) and UnitedHealthcare. Ware was also ordered to spend one day in jail but was given credit for one day.

Ware was indicted in February following a fraud investigation by the Ohio Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Unit that involved nine providers across the state.

Ware allegedly billed for services between May 2024 and June 2025 when traveling in Arizona, Florida, Texas and the Bahamas, according to a news release from Yost’s office.