AG: 2 Shreveport women arrested in Medicaid, SNAP fraud scheme

BATON ROUGE, La. – Two Shreveport woman have been arrested following a state investigation into a Medicaid and SNAP fraud scheme involving more than $156,000 in fraudulently obtained government benefits.

The investigation by the Louisiana Bureau of Investigations stemmed from a referral from the Louisiana Department of Health regarding allegations that Tanesha Bowman, 39, had defrauded the Medicaid and SNAP programs. LDH also reported that former employee, Juleah Seazer, 33, who lived at the same address, also allegedly participated in defrauding the Medicaid program.

LBI agents discovered that Seazer, a former LDH customer service representative had reportedly assisted Bowman, a personal friend, in a scheme to unlawfully obtain reinstatement of her Medicaid benefits. LDH had previously terminated Bowman’s benefits after the agency discovered she had failed to report her true marital status and household income.

Attorney General Liz Murrill said in October, Seazer and Bowman orchestrated an unofficial phone call utilizing the LDH Medicaid phone application system. As an employee of LDH, Seazer filed and deposited false public records in a public office. Bowman’s benefits were then restored when, in fact, she and her dependents remained ineligible.

Through this investigation, agents learned that Bowman was also a recipient of SNAP benefits. Those applications were reviewed and revealed that Bowman allegedly intentionally misrepresented her true household income and had defrauded that program as well. Bowman continuously omitted her marriage to a full-time City of Shreveport employee who was living in the home.

Murrill said as a result of her actions, Bowman defrauded the Medicaid program of approximately $121,182 in benefits she and her family were not entitled to. Bowman also defrauded the SNAP program of approximately $35,305 in food assistance benefits that she was not entitled to, Murrill said.

LBI agents subsequently obtained arrest warrants through the 19th Judicial District Court in East Baton Rouge Parish for both women.

Bowman was arrested on Wednesday on the following charges:

• 8 counts of government benefits fraud
• 7 counts of unauthorized use of supplemental nutrition assistance program (SNAP) benefits

Bowman surrendered to LBI agents and was booked into the East Baton Rouge Prison. Her bond has not been set yet.

An arrest warrant was issued for Seazer after she allegedly refused to cooperate with LBI and failed to surrender after she was given an opportunity.

She was considered a fugitive until her arrest Thursday afternoon. She's been booked into the Caddo Correctional Center on the following charges:

• Government benefits fraud
• 2 counts of trespass against state computers
• Filing or maintaining false public records
• Malfeasance in office