KANSAS ATTORNEY GENERAL’S OFFICE PARTICIPATES IN 2026 DOJ NATIONAL HEALTH CARE FRAUD TAKEDOWN
TOPEKA – (June 23, 2026) – Kansas Attorney General Kris Kobach announced today that the Kansas Attorney General’s Medicaid Fraud Control Unit (MFCU) played an active role in the 2026 U.S. Department of Justice National Health Care Fraud Takedown. The nationwide operation, coordinated by the Department of Justice and the Department of Health and Human Services in partnership with state Medicaid Fraud Control Units, targets schemes that defraud Medicare, Medicaid, and other government health care programs.
The Kansas MFCU is a dedicated law enforcement division within the Attorney General’s Office charged with investigating and prosecuting health care providers and individuals who defraud the Medicaid program or engage in abuse, neglect, or exploitation of vulnerable Kansans in Medicaid-funded or residential care settings. The unit possesses both civil and criminal enforcement authority.
During the Takedown — which ran from June 8 through June 22, 2026 — the Kansas MFCU filed the following three criminal cases:
State v. Donald Ray Ellison III
Donald Ray Ellison III, 42, of Baxter Springs, was charged in Cherokee County District Court with Making False Claim, Statement or Representation to the Medicaid Program (Medicaid Fraud) and Making False Information. According to the complaint, Ellison submitted false claims for Personal Care Attendant (PCA) services that were never provided between June 2022 and March 2023. He allegedly received $41,449.20 in fraudulent Medicaid payments. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorneys General Kiley J. Deain and Gregory T. Benefiel.
State v. Matthew Gordon Lambert
Matthew Gordon Lambert, 40, of Basehor, was charged in Shawnee County District Court with Making False Claim, Statement or Representation to the Medicaid Program (Medicaid Fraud) and Unlawful Acts Concerning Computers. The complaint alleges that Lambert, a paid PCA provider, submitted false claims for services not rendered between September 2021 and November 2024, using a computer system to do so. He fraudulently billed $31,065.35 and was paid $30,714.37. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Deborah L. Moody.
State v. Sharae Michelle Lora
Sharae Michelle Lora, 53, of Kansas City, was charged in Wyandotte County District Court with Making False Claim, Statement or Representation to the Medicaid Program (Medicaid Fraud), Unlawful Acts Concerning Computers, and Identity Theft. The complaint alleges that Lora submitted false PCA service claims between November 2022 and February 2024, using a computer system and the personal identifying information of another individual. She fraudulently billed $36,847.08 and received the full amount. The case is being prosecuted by Assistant Attorney General Kiley J. Deain.
Ellison, Lambert, and Lora are presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law.
The Kansas Attorney General’s Office Medicaid Fraud Control Unit receives 75% of its funding from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services under a grant award totaling $2,489,664 for Federal fiscal year (FY) 2026. The remaining 25%, totaling $829,883 for FY 2026, is funded by the State of Kansas. The federal fiscal year 2026 runs from October 1, 2025, through September 30, 2026.
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