WASHINGTON — Two Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA) employees, Michelle Shropshire, 54, of Waldorf, MD, and Harlisha Jones, 49, of Clinton, MD and Washington, DC, were arrested Friday on multiple federal charges, including health care fraud, wire fraud, mail fraud, aggravated identity theft, and conspiracy.
The indictment, unsealed in U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia, alleges that from June 2021 to January 2024, the two conspired to exploit Jones’s AFLAC insurance policies by submitting fraudulent claims for fake injuries, medical treatments, and disability periods.
According to court documents, the women used real doctors’ information and forged signatures to create fake medical statements supporting the false claims. After AFLAC processed and paid these claims—totaling about $58,750 to Jones—she allegedly gave kickbacks of approximately 20% to Shropshire.
Shropshire is also accused of facilitating false claims for other WMATA employees, increasing the total fraud to more than $362,000 in illegitimate insurance payments.
Employees involved in the broader scheme include:
Sharon Washington, 53, Woodbridge, VA
Selethia Blake, 53, Waldorf, MD
Brady Turner, 56, Clinton, MD
Lushawn Foreman, 51, Upper Marlboro, MD
Margot Jackson, 52, Hughesville, MD
All five have pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud and are awaiting sentencing. Each admitted to receiving fraudulent payouts and paying kickbacks to Shropshire.
If convicted, Shropshire and Jones face up to 20 years in prison for the main charges, and an additional mandatory 2-year sentence for aggravated identity theft.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Washington Field Office and the WMATA Office of Inspector General, and prosecuted by Assistant U.S. Attorneys Brian P. Kelly and Diane Lucas.
