A former Lane County employee was arraigned in court July 8 on several healthcare fraud charges following the federal government's National Health Care Fraud Takedown initiative.
Amanda Joy Booth Thorne, 44, of Tigard, was charged with two counts of making a false claim for healthcare payment, two counts of first-degree theft and one count of aggravated identity theft.
Thorne is accused of using a government credit card issued to her to make purchases for developmental disabilities services clients for her own personal expenses, including paying rent and making a down payment on a car, according to the U.S. Department of Justice.
Thorne has a pre-trial hearing scheduled for Aug. 12.
Four other Oregonians also were arrested alongside more than 450 people nationwide for alleged healthcare fraud schemes totaling $6.5 billion.
The DOJ alleges the accused submitted false claims to healthcare programs or participated in opioid use schemes. Prosecutors said at least 90 people in the charged group were doctors or other licensed medical professionals in what the DOJ is calling the 2026 National Health Care Fraud...
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