Richmond Mental Health Agency Executive Charged in Alleged $49.6 Million Medicaid Fraud
Federal prosecutors say the chief operating officer of Advancing Communities Everywhere billed Medicaid for services that were not provided as described and often were not needed, targeting low-income and homeless Virginians.
By Rahul Mehta ·
A Richmond mental health agency executive faces federal charges over an alleged years-long scheme to defraud Medicaid. Prosecutors say the scheme targeted low-income and homeless people in Virginia.
According to the Department of Justice, the agency, Advancing Communities Everywhere (known as ACE), submitted fraudulent bills to Medicaid totaling nearly $50 million between 2022 and 2026. Prosecutors have charged Mikia Noble, ACE's chief operating officer, in connection with the alleged scheme.
Prosecutors say Noble and an unnamed co-conspirator sought out low-income and homeless people and purported to give them community stabilization and mobile crisis services. Those services are meant to help people going through a short-term behavioral health emergency. Prosecutors allege the clients did not receive the services as billed and often did not need them.
Prosecutors also allege that Noble offered homeless people free hotel rooms to influence them to use ACE's services. They say the agency moved patients through its services and repeatedly re-admitted them. In their account, the reason was not clinical need but the reimbursements Medicaid would pay.
Another alleged tactic involved how treatments were billed. Prosecutors say ACE routinely told Medicaid that two mental health professionals took part in a treatment when only one did. They say this fraudulently doubled the payment the company received.
Of the $49.6 million that ACE is accused of billing fraudulently, Medicaid paid $38.6 million, according to prosecutors. They say Noble personally profited by about $2 million and spent the money on travel, luxury clothes, shoes and jewelry.
Prosecutors are seeking to recover the proceeds of the alleged fraud.
CBS 6 contacted Noble's defense attorney, who said they will respond to the allegations only in court. The charges are allegations, and the case was described as a developing story as of July 1, 2026.
Originally published by News Media House · Source: CBS 6 WTVR
