Want the best of VICE News straight to your inbox? Sign up here.Timothy Harron made a habit of showing gratitude for his extravagant lifestyle on Instagram: Hashtags like #blessed and #millionairemindset frequently accompanied photos of fancy dinners and trips on his private jet with his wife.But as it turns out, that money wasn’t a result of God or a strong work ethic; it was plain, old-fashioned fraud, according to federal prosecutors.Harron and his wife, Latisha, were arrested in Las Vegas on Wednesday and charged with stealing $13 million from North Carolina’s health care program. The couple would allegedly thumb through obituaries, use personal information they uncovered to look up the deceased’s Medicaid status, and retroactively charge the Tar Heel state for fictitious home care services.The Harrons would then allegedly use the money to buy Tiffany jewelry, vacations, expensive liquors, an Aston Martin sports car, and even a $900,000 private jet — all of which Timothy posted to Instagram.The U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of North Carolina, which brought the case after a joint investigation with HHS and the IRS, called the scheme “one of the most brazen and egregious cases of home health Medicaid fraud ever seen.”“Most reprehensible is the fact that this crime is alleged to have been carried out on the backs of our most vulnerable: the poor, the deceased, the elderly, and the disabled,” U.S. Attorney Robert Higdon Jr. said in a statement on Wednesday.Since 2010, Latisha, 44, had allegedly used a fake home healthcare company of her creation called Agape Healthcare Systems to charge the state of North Carolina for fabricated Medicaid services given to people who recently died. In 2012, she moved to Maryland, where she continued to operate the shell company, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office.Sometime in 2017, Latisha moved from Maryland to live with her now-husband, Timothy, 50, in Las Vegas, where the two continued to reap the benefits of the scheme, according to prosecutors. And Timothy wasn’t afraid to flaunt his wealth on social media — or quote himself.Both Timothy and Latisha had previously been convicted for illicit activity. Latisha was convicted of identity theft, and Timothy was convicted for wire fraud and money laundering in 2012. Both parties concealed their past issues with the law when putting together Agape Healthcare Systems, according to prosecutors.For their alleged scheme, the Harrons were each charged with 54 counts of wire fraud, 11 counts of conducting transactions in criminally derived property with fraud and money laundering, six counts of aggravated identity theft, conspiracy to commit money laundering, and health care fraud. Additionally, Latisha is charged with making false statements relating to health care matters.For each count, the couple is facing two to 20 years in prison.Cover:
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